Times Infinity
by acciodanrad9
Summary: She couldn't lose him; she just couldn't. To save his life and her heart, she would need a miracle. Excerpt: "I love you," he whispered, his breath warm against her neck. "Times infinity."
1. When You're Gone

**Disclaimer: Characters are not mine.**

_**A/N:**__ Just to let you guys know, this story continues right after the goodbye scene. So, nothing after that scene will have happened in this story. I have already written this story in its entirety, and I plan on updating it once a week. It is going to be around twenty-five chapters. Hope you enjoy it!_

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_Times Infinity _

**Chapter One: When You're Gone**

_In her hand, she clutched a photograph; it was of her and Keith. They were standing next to each other, fingers laced, hands locked. Keith was staring straight into the camera. She couldn't take her eyes off of them, of his piercing green eyes…of him._

_It was the only photo of them, and she held the picture tightly between her fingers, so tight, that it seemed as if she was afraid someone was going to walk by and tear it away from her, and rip it into millions of tiny pieces. To destroy the only thing she had left of them… of him. _

_Of Keith._

_ A hesitant voice made Natalie jump. From the corner of her eye, Natalie saw Brooke sit down next to her. "Are you all right?" Brooke asked. Natalie could hear the worry in Brooke voice, but couldn't bring herself to care._

_With heavy, sad eyes she looked over at Brooke. "Yeah, I'm…fine." She wasn't though, and Brooke knew this. Brooke smiled sadly at her, and jerked her head towards the photo that Natalie was still holding. Natalie turned to stare at it again. "You and Keith?" she asked. She could see the photo, why did she have to ask if it was of her and Keith, wasn't it obvious?_

_Natalie gave a tiny nod. "Um, yeah." She swallowed back tears that were threatening to fall._

_Brooke took a deep breath. "Natalie, he wouldn't want you to be like this, he wouldn't want you to-to grieve," Brooke whispered, afraid of Natalie's reaction, she quickly added. "He wouldn't want you to stop living; he would want you to live life to the fullest. You know that, right?"_

_Natalie squeezed her eyes shut, making sure no tears fell. Crying, she wasn't going to, because then it would just make everything more real. More permanent. "You don't understand; you just _don't_." Brooke would never understand the pain she was in; the numbing, excruciating, aching pain. _

_Why was Brooke here anyway? She didn't even like Keith. She thought he was a freak—a nobody._

"_Let me understand," stated Brooke, trying to grab Natalie's hand in comfort, but Natalie jerked it away, gripping the photo tighter._

"_You will never understand," she sniffed, eyes misting over. "He's going to come back, he's going to. He's not," she took a deep breath, "gone. He's not _dead_." She shook her head in denial. Why was she denying this? She wasn't crazy, she knew, but denying it was better than facing the horrible truth…the horrible reality._

"_Natalie, you don't believe that, not really," said Brooke trying to comfort her, "Please, just talk to me."_

_Natalie didn't respond, only continued to stare down at the photo of her and Keith, a tear finally fell from her eye and landed the photo. She watched as it slid down the photograph, before dripping onto the table and disappearing. She turned to look over at Brooke. "He can't be dead, because I can't live without him," she wept. "What am I going to do? You tell me that he wouldn't want me to stop living, but how can I do that when—when I can't _live_ without him?"_

"_It'll just take time, he wouldn't want you to be like this," reminded Brooke. "It will take time, but you'll be fine."_

"_You don't understand," spoke Natalie, eyes narrowing._

_Brooke glared, her previous sympathetic look changed to one of anger and annoyance. Before Natalie had the chance, Brooke grabbed the photograph from Natalie's tight grasp. "This is what is causing you from moving on," she said waving the picture in front of Natalie. "You need to stop this, stop staring at this picture, stop remembering. Then, you'll be fine." And before Natalie could prevent it, Brooke ripped the photograph in two—torn it right down the middle, right between Natalie and Keith—separating them._

_Natalie's let out a small sob, as she watched the two pieces of the picture flutter to the ground. The two pieces fluttered away, away from her._

_Gone._

_Just like Keith. She stared at the two pieces for a few minutes, eyes misting over even more, before the image became too blurry and she couldn't see it. Couldn't see him anymore, couldn't see _them _together_ _anymore. They were torn apart…_

_Forever._

_She turned to face Brooke. "Fine, no," she laughed bitterly. "I'll never be fine. He took a part of me when he died; a part of me I'll never be able to get back," she stated, eyes cloudy._

"_What's that?" asked Brooke._

_A tear finally fell, sliding down her cheek, she didn't bother to wipe it away, more would follow. "He took my heart."_

Natalie awoke, breathing deeply, wiping away the tears that were sliding down her face. She gulped back a sob, sat up in her bed, quickly turning on the light.

Keith wasn't dead, not yet, was he? That had to have been a nightmare; Brooke would never have done that…ripped her picture. With shaking hands, Natalie quickly opened the drawer to her nightstand, and breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the picture still there, still in one piece, whole. It had to have been a nightmare, the picture was still in one piece, so it wasn't true, _he _wasn't dead.

She had just seen him earlier today—he was still here with her, alive, right? It was_ just_ a nightmare. It _was _not real. It couldn't be real. She still had time left with him, she had to. Running a shaky hand through her hair, she glanced over at her phone every few seconds. He was sleeping right now, she shouldn't call him. She was just being stupid, irrational.

But she had to; part of her worried that it hadn't been a just nightmare and that it had happened, even though the picture was still here, whole, together. That _it_ was real. Grabbing her phone, she quickly dialed his number, willing him to answer…to hear his voice. That's all she wanted, just his voice.

It kept ringing and more tears built up in her eyes, but just before Natalie was about to cancel the call, to give up all hope, a sleep-filled voice answered the phone. "Hello?"

Natalie choked back thankful tears. _His voice_. "You're here," she whispered.

"I'm here, Natalie," he whispered. "I'm here."

* * *

Natalie couldn't believe today was the day—Graduation Day—the day she had been looking forward to since she had started high school. But now, when the had day arrived, she didn't have the same feelings of happiness and excitement that she previously thought she would; instead, she felt dread, pain, and unbearable sadness. Ever since she had met Keith things had been different—were different. And, now, she couldn't bring herself to care about anything other than the fact that soon, she was going to loose him. To her, that was all that mattered, all that she constantly thought about.

"You look so beautiful, darling," sighed her mother as Natalie walked down the stairs in her graduation dress. It was a simple red dress with straps that were beaded with blue and purple gems, it fell below her knees and it flowed gracefully as she moved. She walked over to where her mom was sitting and grabbed her blue graduation robe, putting it over her dress, and grabbing her graduation cap to put on later.

"Thanks," she smiled, but she knew it looked forced.

Her mom noticed. "You all right, dear?"

Natalie nodded, keeping her eyes averted from her mom's powerful gaze. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I just can't believe today is the day."

"We're very proud of you," smiled her mom. "Are you ready to give your speech?"

"Yeah, I have it all ready." She checked the pocket of her robe to make sure it was there, but knew she wouldn't need it. She wasn't going to read what she had written a few weeks ago, no, she was going to speak from her heart.

Her mom stood up, still smiling. "I can't believe my girl is Valedictorian and is going to Duke." She gave Natalie a tight hug, which Natalie weakly gave back. Why was it that none of that sounded exciting anymore? It felt like she was going on the wrong track.

Everything just felt _wrong_.

When she arrived at the auditorium in which they were holding their graduation ceremony, people greeted her, tried to talk to her, but she was only looking for one person. She was unable to spot him before they were ushered to their seats. She sat down and tuned out everything and everyone around her. She could barely remember walking up, grabbing her diploma and sitting back down.

Her thoughts were elsewhere, until she heard her name being called to give her speech. Had time gone by that quickly? That was the problem now, time was moving by too fast. She wanted to stop it, put it at a standstill and let herself breath, think, live. For just a little while, just until things calmed down. When she got to the stage, the lights were blinding her eyes, but she still trailed her eyes over the students looking for _him_. She had to find him before her speech; she couldn't do this without knowing he was there, watching her, listening.

And he was. He was sitting in the way back—his gaze right on her, it gave her the confidence to start.

"Hello Class of 2006, I'm Natalie Anderson. I'm sure everyone here expects me to stand up and give a long talk about school, and how it has influenced my life. But, the thing is, I'm not going to do that, because school is just school and trust me when I say that there are more important things out there.

"You see, as far as I can remember school has always been everything to me—I had to get straight A's, join every club. If I didn't do well I would feel aggravated and upset, but the thing was…in the mist of all that, I lost myself. I forgot who I was. That was until one day, I met someone and he showed me what I was missing—life. He showed me how to really live life, and how getting A's and joining every club wasn't everything. I guess I passed everything in my life, but life itself. I failed that course.

"This guy, he always tells me: the sky's the limit, and I really hope he's right. I hope the sky is the limit. Really bad stuff happens to people, really bad, and I just want you guys to learn, if anything, from this speech, that life is the most important thing you have. But, don't take it too seriously, and when bad stuff happens don't stop going for your dreams. Remember don't take life for granted. So, go out there live your life, and shoot for your dreams, because you never know when it will all end. Just like…that."

Students, faculty, parents, grandparents started clapping, but Natalie kept her gaze focused on Keith. She mouthed, 'I love you' to him seconds before everyone threw up their graduation hats and started cheering for the end of high school, for a new journey in their lives, causing her and Keith's gaze to break. When the hats fell to the ground, and Natalie could see the crowd again, he was gone.

He had left.

* * *

In reality it had been only hours since Natalie had last seen Keith at their graduation, but to her it seemed like days. Even afterwards, when everyone had been huddled around together celebrating, she couldn't keep from looking for him, even though she knew he had left. Knew he was gone.

Time, for once, seemed to slowly pass by as Natalie and her family celebrated at dinner—the problem was all she wanted to do was go talk to Keith, to be with him. To her, there was nothing to celebrate. Finally, hours later, she was able to escape her family and friends and drive to the one and only place she wanted to be.

Keith's.

Natalie knocked on the front door of Keith's house, waiting anxiously for someone to answer the door, so she could finally be with him. "Natalie, hello," said Mr. Zetterstrom as he opened the door. "Nice speech, I really enjoyed it," he smiled with a knowing look in his eyes.

"Thanks, um, is Keith home?" she asked.

"No, he's not," started Mr. Zetterstrom, but at the look on Natalie's face he hurriedly added. "He's actually at the park."

"The park?" repeated Natalie, making sure she heard right. That was a place he never went, at least he never mentioned going there.

"Yup, went over there a few hours ago, you should go talk to him."

"I'm planning on it," she smiled. She thanked him and he pointed to the direction in which to go.

Natalie walked a few blocks before she caught sight of the park. Soon after she caught sight of Keith who was on a swing, slowly drifting back and forth, he looked to be thinking about something very serious.

"Hi," she said as she sat down in the swing next to him, beginning to slowly swing back and forth as well.

He stopped swinging to look at her. "How'd you—"

"Your dad, he told me."

He nodded and looked away from her, slowly drifting back and forth on his swing again.

"So, um, you left, after, you know," started Natalie.

He stopped swinging, and sighed deeply. He wouldn't look at her. "Yeah, I did. Sorry, about that."

"I understand," whispered Natalie.

He turned sharply to look at her, eyes flashing. "You do?"

Natalie tensed. "We'll, I'm trying to. Are you all right?" Keith tensed as well. "Keith?"

He jumped up, taking deep breaths. Natalie stood up too, not taking her eyes off of him. "No, I'm not all right!" He kicked at the sand and it flew up, sprinkling on both of them. "Everything is just screwed up!" He threw his arms up in the air.

"Did something happen?" she asked, trying to figure out what was making him so upset.

He gave a curt half nod. "_Yes!_ This wasn't how it was supposed to be; how this was supposed to happen."

"How what was supposed to happen?" asked Natalie, keeping her voice calm and soothing.

"I wasn't supposed to care that I am dying. But I do, and I don't like it!"

"Keith, that's totally normal," sympathized Natalie.

He shook his head widely, his eyes blazing with anger, sadness, or both Natalie couldn't tell. "Not for me it isn't. I've told you before, my life was shit I never cared I was going to die. Sometimes, most of the time, I thought it was a good thing. But, now, everyday I wake up I think about all of the stuff that I'm going to miss and I want it to stop, I want it to end!"

He stopped to take a deep shaky breath, his anger subsided and he whispered, sadly. "I just don't want to care anymore." He stopped, breathing deeply, gaze focused on the ground.

Natalie walked over to him and pulled him into a hug. At first, he fought to get away, but Natalie held him tightly and, finally, he gave in, and weakly wrapped his arms around her, placing his forehead onto her shoulder, taking in shaky breaths.

A few minutes, once he controlled his breathing, he spoke. "I don't want to miss anything; I want…I don't know…I'm so confused, so confused," he said the last part in a whisper.

Not knowing what to say to comfort him, Natalie did the only thing she could think of—she hugged him tighter. A few seconds later he lifted his head up, looking into her eyes. "You know what I'm going to miss the most, though?" His voice cracked a tiny bit.

"What?" asked Natalie, voice soft. He lifted his hand, running his fingers through her hair.

"You."


	2. Without You

_**A/N:**_ _Thank you for the reviews!_

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**Chapter Two: Without You**

Keith didn't bring up what had transpired on graduation day, so Natalie thought it was best to leave it alone. She didn't want to get him upset, and truthfully she didn't want to think about it—at all. Currently, the sun was going down, Natalie and Keith were sitting in the back of Keith's truck, at their spot. The spot that overlooked the Brick, a place Natalie had not been to in weeks and truthfully didn't miss.

"Shooting star," commented Keith, suddenly.

Natalie jumped up a little; Keith's voice had surprised her. He had been quiet and reserved all night. "What?" she asked. She lifted her head, which had been resting on Keith's shoulder to glance at him. He glanced over to her then back up to the sky.

"A shooting star," he repeated his voice holding a tinge of sadness to it. He didn't take his eyes away from the sky. "Make a wish," he added.

Natalie stared at him blankly. "A wish?" she asked.

Keith turned to look at her, he smiled a little but it didn't reach his eyes. "Yes, a wish," he replied.

"But why?" wondered Natalie.

His smile turned into a frown before he turned his head away and became interested with a hole in his jacket. "You know," he began quietly, "my mom always used to tell me if you see a shooting star, you make a wish."

Natalie hesitantly spoke. "Your mom?" she questioned. It was the fist time he had ever mentioned her.

"Yeah." His voice cracked a tiny bit.

"What happened?" Natalie asked quietly, even though knew she shouldn't. She braced herself for him to get angry.

When he finally spoke, he didn't answer the question; instead, he lifted his hand and pointed to a specific location in the sky. "Another one," he spoke.

"Keith." Natalie said, bringing his hand down gently to rest on his lap, which had still been trailing the shooting star.

He sighed, glancing the opposite direction—anywhere that he didn't have to look her in the eyes. He sighed deeply before answering. "Car crash."

"Oh, she—"

"Yeah, it was a long time ago, though."

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. "That must have been so hard."

He shrugged, swallowed thickly and closed his eyes for a few seconds. "Don't worry, Partner."

Deciding he was done with the conversation, Natalie resumed her previous position; head resting on top of Keith's shoulder, he leaned back against the back of the truck to get comfortable.

A few minutes later he spoke, his voice containing a great amount of sadness and pain that Natalie wish she could take away. "Another one," he pointed and Natalie watched as the star flashed across the sky. "Make your wish," he stated, eyes focused on the shooting star.

Tears burned Natalie's vision. "I can't," she whispered, defeated.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because," she cried, wiping tears that had rolled down her cheek away, "because the one wish I have can't come true."

He looked down at her. "What's that?"

She paused, and then sadly replied. "You," she sniffed, "forever."

Keith nodded in understanding. "You're right," his voice was defeated too, "there is nothing to wish for, is there?"

Natalie spoke, voice laced with tears. "No, there's not."

* * *

A few days later, Natalie was surprised, when early one morning, Brooke called. They hadn't talked much ever since Natalie had broken up with Raff, and she had started spending more time with Keith. The phone rang just as Natalie was getting a soda out of the fridge.

"Hello?" she answered.

"You want to go boating?" Natalie opened her soda, holding the phone with her shoulder to her ear.

She recognized the voice. "Brooke, hi. Boating, really?" Natalie inquired. It was a strange request. She couldn't remember the last time, if ever, she and Brooke had ever gone boating.

"Yeah, I mean now that you aren't going to London, I thought it might be fun. It's the first weekend out of school and all. Plus, Trish's dad owns a boat, so we're planning on driving down to the lake and boating for a day. You in?"

"Who's all going?" she asked.

"Well, Travis and I, and Trish and Robbie, of course. Will you come, too?"

"No Raff, though?"

Brooke paused, before answering. "No, he's not coming. We haven't really talked to him much, ever since you guys broke up. He's really angry, he's changed."

"Yeah," mused Natalie, "can I bring someone?"

"Sure, who?" asked Brooke, even though Natalie suspected she knew.

"Keith." There was another pause and Natalie held her breath, she didn't want to cause another fight between them. "I mean he's my friend," she argued. "Maybe it would be fun. You could get to know him." That was if she could get Keith to go; it would be fun for him, though. Keep his and her mind off of things for a while at least.

Hopefully.

"Friend?" repeated Brooke. "Just a friend?"

"Well," Natalie took a sip of her soda and sat down on the couch in the living room. "Kind of…maybe more."

"If you want to bring him, I can't stop you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I guess. I mean I am not sure how the others will feel about it, but you do what you have to do."

Natalie felt anger filling her at the tone coming out of Brooke's voice, but she held herself back from saying anything. "I don't care what they think."

"Then bring him," whispered Brooke.

"I will."

"Okay," spoke Brooke.

"So, when are we going?" asked Natalie, trying to change the conversation.

"Saturday. We are leaving early, around six. It's a long drive."

"We'll be there." Natalie hung up the phone after they went over the specifics, but stayed sitting on the couch mind reeling. The problem was, how was she going to get Keith to agree to hang out with her friends that didn't exactly like him?

It wasn't going to be easy.

* * *

Two days had passed and Natalie still hadn't gotten up the courage to ask Keith to come along. Now, it was Friday and she had to ask him, they were leaving tomorrow. Boating—this wasn't something Keith would want to do—why did she even come up with this crazy idea to invite him to hang out with her friends?

They were currently in the back of Keith truck, at their spot. They were in the bed of the truck, lying on top of the blanket that Keith always kept in his truck. They were lying parallel to each other legs hanging over the side of the truck.

"So, Partner," said Natalie, trying to bring up a conversation. She took her gaze away from the stars, and looked at him.

He kept his eyes towards the sky. "Uh huh," he mumbled.

"What are you doing tomorrow?" she asked hesitantly.

"Lots of things," he chuckled, placing his hands behind his head.

"Like what?"

"Things."

"Keith," said Natalie sternly.

"What?" he laughed, looking at her annoyed expression.

"Well, don't you get bored of doing just things?" she asked.

"No."

"Wouldn't you like to go out more? I don't know—with some friends?" A flicker of emotion crossed his face.

"Na," he shook his head. "What would be the point, anyway? It's best if I keep to my normal social patterns. I have you, that's enough."

Natalie smiled at his last statement. "That's sweet. But, don't you want to have fun?"

"Fun?" She nodded. "Fun, I have fun," he smirked. "Why the question, anyway?"

Natalie felt her face heat up. "Because, um, I wantyoutogoboatingwithme."

"What? You're going to have to speak slower, Partner. Then maybe I can understand you," he joked.

Natalie felt her heart racing. She spoke more slowly this time. "I want you to go boating with me and some friends."

He reacted just how she suspected he would. He laughed as if the question was a joke, and turned his gaze back to the sky. "Why?"

"I just want you to come." Suddenly, he sat up, moving his legs back over inside the truck and promptly squatted—looking as if he was ready to pounce out of the truck at any given moment.

"Why?" he pressed.

"I just want you to, okay?" huffed Natalie. She didn't really want to have this conversation.

"You don't want me to, Natalie," he whispered.

"Yes, I do." She sat up, squatting as well. "Why would you think I wouldn't want you—"

He cut her off. "Tell me this, Natalie. Why do you want me to hang out with your friends that don't even like me? Plus, what's the point? I'll be gone soon enough."

Natalie stared monetarily shocked at the anger and almost hurt in his voice. It was the first time that he ever seemed to actually care what people thought about him. He never seemed to care that her friends thought that he was weird, a freak. It was strange—unlike him.

"I want to introduce you to them." It sounded stupid coming from her mouth.

"Introduce me?" he chuckled. "They know me. We've all gone to the same school for the past eight years."

Natalie was silent, and getting no response from her Keith huffed and quickly jumped off of the truck and walked over to the edge of the cliff, staring at the lake below.

"Keith," Natalie called, as she made her way clumsily out of the truck. He didn't respond. "Keith," she repeated as she walked closer to him. She could see his shoulders tense once she approached. But then, suddenly, he turned around eyes flashing.

"You want me to come because you want to show your friends," he spat, "that I am not a _freak_."

Natalie felt her heart skip a beat, and she began to shake her head back and forth. "Keith…that's not it, that's not it at all." It wasn't, to her Keith wasn't a freak, not one bit. Misunderstood, yes, but wasn't she? Wasn't everyone? To her, Keith was _Keith _and she admired him for that fact that he didn't normally care what people thought of him, that he was always himself—that he was always himself no matter what people said about him.

"Then, why? Why do you want me to get to know your friends?" he demanded.

She walked up to him, grabbing his hand into hers. He tensed but didn't pull away. "Keith," she started gently, "it's because I want to show my friends the guy that I—that I've fallen in love with." At her declaration, Keith closed his eyes tightly, bit his lip, turned his back to her, and resumed staring out to the lake below.

A few seconds later, he responded. "Oh, I see," he replied, barely above a whisper. His voice didn't hold the anger that it had previously, but more of a sadness and longing.

Natalie felt her heart break in two. But, she held her tears at bay. She didn't want Keith to see her cry. It felt like forever, until Keith surprised her and spoke up again. "Okay. I'll go with you."

He turned around, facing her, but she kept her gaze to the ground, trying to make her eyes go dry. Was it bad that he had yet to say 'I love you' to her? He had only said it in context, but that was different and it upset her, it upset her a lot. But, she didn't say anything.

She finally looked up when she felt her eyes were dry enough. "Okay," she whispered.

He smiled sadly and gave her a look as if he knew what she wanted to hear, but knew he couldn't give in and say it back. Natalie swallowed thickly; it would have to be okay, because she was afraid that was all she was going to get from him.

* * *

Saturday morning arrived and Keith was the last person they were picking up. They had all decided to car pool in Trish's dad's van, which fit six people. Robbie—Trish's boyfriend—pulled into the driveway of Keith's house. Natalie silently got out of the van, knocking on Keith's front door. She zipped up her sweater, it was early enough that the wind was stilly chilly. Keith opened the door, a big lopsided grin on his face. He was wearing some baggy blue sweatpants that fell loosely on his hips, and a white t-shirt.

"Hey," she smiled, giving him a hug. He returned it, wrapping his arms around her. They pulled away after a few seconds.

He yawned. Natalie rolled her eyes. "It's early," he explained.

"You ready?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I packed some stuff." He held up a torn up backpack.

"Perfect," smiled Natalie.

Mr. Zetterstrom came walking in the room, work attire on. "Have fun, Keith," he said as he gave him a hug. As Keith back was turned in the embrace, Natalie didn't miss Mr. Zetterstrom mouth the words 'Take care of him.'

Natalie gave him a sad smile, before mouthing back 'I will.'

Mr. Zetterstrom let go of the embrace, and Natalie grabbed Keith's hand as they walked to the car. She introduced everyone to him, even though they already knew him. Once she introduced him, and they were buckled, they were on their way.

Two hours into the drive, they stopped at a gas station to fill up, and get some breakfast. They all entered the gas station, Natalie turned to Keith, before he made his way into the bathroom.

"You want anything?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Na, I'm good."

Natalie walked over the breakfast area, looking over some doughnuts, when Trish walked up behind her. "He seems nice," she stated, grabbing herself sprinkled doughnut. Natalie glanced at her. She was the first person to mention anything about Keith since he had shown up.

"Yeah, he is." Natalie grabbed two doughnuts, and two bottles of orange juice. Even though Keith said he wasn't hungry, she was going to make him eat and drink something.

"He's quiet, though," started Trish, trying to decide whether or not to get an orange juice or cranberry juice, "which is weird, because I distinctly remember him being pretty funny at school."

Natalie shrugged. He was being quiet, which was out of character for him. But, she suspected he just didn't have much to say. He probably felt a little uncomfortable; Natalie sure would. "Yeah, he'll come around." _I hope_, she thought.

"Is he scared of us?" joked Trish, opening the door to the drinks and grabbing a cranberry juice.

"I sure hope not," Natalie joked back as they both made their way to the register. While paying, she saw Keith walk out and make his way back into the van. Once Trish paid for her drink and food, they walked back to the van. Everyone else was already there, eating what they had bought.

"Got you something to drink and a doughnut if you want it, you should probably stay hydrated," said Natalie, once she sat down and buckled her seatbelt. She grabbed the orange juice and doughnut out of her bag and handed it to Keith. Robbie pulled out of the gas station and they made their way back to the highway.

"Thanks," he said, taking a big sip of orange juice before putting it in the cup holder next to him.

It was silent in the car for a while, except for music while everyone ate their breakfast. Keith had a few pieces of his doughnut, but handed her the rest of it, saying he was full. Natalie wrapped up the rest of his doughnut, saving it for him in case he wanted it later. Just as Natalie was finishing her food, she felt a weight fall on her shoulder. Surprised, she looked over to see Keith asleep; his head resting on her shoulder.

Natalie brought the back of her hand to his forehead, and felt heat. His forehead wasn't too hot to be concerned about, but it was obvious that he had a little bit of a fever. But, this was common, mused Natalie. Natalie had researched it; fevers were just one of the many symptoms that came with having cancer. Was this why Mr. Zetterstrom had told her to take care of him? Because he wasn't feeling well? That he was running a fever?

"He okay?" asked Brooke, glancing back. Everyone else glanced back at Keith at Brooke's question. It was the first time she had even acknowledged that Keith was even with them. Natalie pulled her hand back down to her lap quickly, avoiding Brooke's gaze.

"Yeah, just tired." She wanted to tell them the truth, so badly. It was awful, to keep all of this bottled up, but she couldn't tell them the truth. They wouldn't understand; they wouldn't understand at all.

* * *

A few hours later they had made it to the lake and were now drifting in the middle of it, on Trish's big boat planning on spending the rest of the day relaxing, exploring, and sleeping. The sun was blaring on them, Natalie had just finished putting sun tan lotion on Keith's back and was now currently putting the lotion on her legs.

"Having fun?" Trish asked, as she sat down next to Natalie, pulling her brown hair back into a loose bun.

Natalie turned to look at her. "Yup, it's hot, though. Swimming soon. Thanks for letting Keith and I come on your boat, it's really nice." It was a nice boat. It was huge; it even had its own small kitchen.

"No problem. I agree, swimming soon, definitely."

Natalie watched as Trish gave Keith, who was lying on his stomach eyes closed, a questioning look. She snapped back her gaze to Natalie. "Is he—"

"He's not sleeping," laughed Natalie, trying to lighten the awkward mood. She nudged Keith to get him to join in on the conversation. Keith rolled over onto his back, wiping the sweat from his face. Keith glanced over at Trish, giving her a smirk. He sat up and waited for Trish to start a conversation.

"So, Keith, what college are you going to?" asked Trish.

If Natalie didn't know Keith so well, she wouldn't have noticed the flicker of emotion cross his face. "Nowhere," he replied, glancing down at his lap and scratching his neck.

"Nowhere?" she repeated. "Didn't you take AP—"

He cut her off before she could finish. "Yeah, but who needs college, anyway? There are more important things to do with our time then fill our minds with useless facts," he smirked again.

"Um, well," started Trish, not sure how to react to what Keith had said, "what're these more important things?"

"Truck shows."

Trish laughed, but stopped when she saw his serious face. "You're serious?" He nodded, and stood up, walking to the edge of the boat and placing his feet at the very edge. His back was facing Trish. "So, after these truck shows, what are you going to do?" Trish continued.

He didn't answer; instead, he jumped, spraying both Natalie and Trish with cold, refreshing water.

"You seem to be ignoring my question," said Trish once she saw Keith's head break the surface.

"Am I?" he asked innocently.

"So what are your plans, after the truck shows?"

His playful face turned serious. "You really don't want to know."

"Mysterious, are we?" said Trish, not noticing his mood change. Natalie stood up suddenly, eyes red.

"Keith, _stop_. I don't want to hear anymore."

"Anymore what?" he joked, even though Natalie knew he knew exactly what she was talking about.

"You know what," replied Natalie, voice strained.

The smile on Keith's face fell at her tone; his voice changed from joking to quiet and soothing. "Partner, don't get upset. I'm sorry."

Trish glanced at Natalie's sad face, but Natalie didn't notice. "What's going on?" asked Trish. Natalie didn't reply, only watched with sad eyes as Keith swam back to the boat, back to her.

Once in the boat, he pulled her close to him, and whispered into her ear. "I'm sorry." He was getting her wet, but she didn't care, she wrapped her arms around him, holding him close.

A few seconds later, he pulled away from their embrace. He stared at her for a few minutes, placing a stray piece of hair behind Natalie's ear; then, he touched his forehead against Natalie's. They were in their own world, and Natalie didn't want to leave. "Just don't talk about that anymore, okay?" stated Natalie.

"I won't," he said, giving her another quick hug, before letting go and walking into the covered section of the boat.

"He's sweet," said Trish, not bothering to bring up the situation between Natalie and Keith she had just witnessed.

Natalie stared at the spot he had disappeared to, her eyes filling with tears. She hoped that Trish couldn't see them. "He is," whispered Natalie, "he is."

* * *

"Wake up. Wake up, lunch time!" Natalie sprung up, the towel she had placed over her eyes to shield them from the sun fell down next to her. She glanced down at Keith. He was lying right next to her, on his side. She watched the steady rise and fall of his chest, a few seconds before Robbie called again.

"Lunch time!"

She'd have to wake him up, gently she shook him, careful not to startle him. "Keith, wake up."

He opened his eyes lazily. "What?" he asked sleepily, squinting his eyes against the bright sun to look at her.

"Lunch time," smiled Natalie.

He smiled, kissed Natalie on the cheek before getting up. "Sweet."

They walked into the covered section of the boat where everyone was eating. Natalie looked up and smiled at Brooke and Travis, the only person that had really talked to them was Trish and she hope that would change. Brooke would just have to get use to the fact that Keith was in her life—for now at least

"We're planning going swimming later. Want to join? Then after we might go exploring on the kayaks," mentioned Brooke, taking a bite of her turkey sandwich. Natalie smiled as she fixed herself a salami sandwich.

"Sounds great, right, Keith?" asked Natalie as she grabbed some chips. He smiled at Natalie while he continued to fix himself a sandwich.

"Perfect," he whispered, his eyes glistening with what Natalie hoped was happiness. Why couldn't it stay like this? Why did he have to leave her? She wanted him forever, but she knew she couldn't and wouldn't be able to have him.

Regardless of these thoughts, Natalie smiled back. He was with her now at least, that's all she could hope for and get. She mine as well take what she could get, and be with him, until he left her and was torn away, gone…forever.

* * *

They spent a while eating lunch, and making small talk. After a while, it had gotten too hot and they had all finally gotten into the water.

"Do a cannon ball, do it," encouraged Brooke, as Natalie placed her feet at the edge of boat, ready to jump.

She laughed, before she finally jumped, forming herself into the cannon ball position before she hit the water. She resurfaced seconds later.

It was only an hour that everyone had been swimming that Natalie noticed Keith starting to be getting greatly fatigued. After she noticed this, Natalie swam over to him and whispered into his ear. "You all right?" He nodded, but he swam over edge of the boat and got in.

"Yeah, I just need to relax for a minute," he said, glancing around to make sure he hadn't gotten the attention of anyone.

"Okay," said Natalie following him into the boat. She glanced down at Keith and gasped, eyes becoming wide. "What's that?" she asked suddenly, her voice panicky.

"What?" he asked, looking to where she was pointing. He glanced down at his arm, which she had grabbed to inspect more closely.

"Oh, that," he started slowly, "I hit my arm on the side of the boat."

A shocked expression crossed Natalie's features. "When?" She rubbed her fingers gently over the harsh bruise.

"Right before we got in the water."

"And it's already bruised?" said Natalie shocked.

The look on Keith's face changed. "I bruise easily, remember?" He gave her a knowing look, and recognition crossed her face.

"Right, that's a symptom of—"

"Yeah," he said quickly, averting his gave. He continued to stare at the sky, until a scream from Brooke caused him to jump up.

"Natalie!" screamed Brooke again. It was then Natalie realized the scream had been her name. "Grab the kayaks, let's go kayaking!"

Natalie chuckled as she got up. "You coming?" she asked, looking over at Keith who had stood up as well. He helped her bring two kayaks from inside the boat and place them into the water.

"How about I watch?" he suggested. Natalie nodded, knowing it was his way to tell her he was too tired to do so.

"Perfect," she said, kissing him on his lips as everyone else got situated into the kayaks.

"Have fun," said Keith.

"I will," she smiled as she carefully sat behind Trish in one of the kayaks.

"Keith, you're not coming?" asked Trish. "There's enough room in this one," she mentioned, gesturing to the empty seat behind Natalie.

He shook his head. "Na, you guys have fun. I'll watch the boat."

"Okay," started Trish slowly, "if you're sure."

"I am," he winked, trying to ask casual. "See you guys later."

* * *

They kayaked for a solid hour, before Trish and Natalie started getting tired. They slowly began to make their way back to the boat; however, Robbie, Brian, and Brooke had stayed back to explore more.

"Where's Keith?" asked Natalie, as they got closer to the boat. Her arms were tired from all of the kayaking and she was looking forward to resting for a while, but once she didn't catch sight of Keith she began to paddle faster. Her heart began to beat and the more nervous she got the faster she rowed. Horrible thoughts drifted in her mind. What if he got sick and she wasn't there for him? What if he had needed her help and she hadn't been there?

"Natalie, no need to go so fast. Keith's fine," said Trish, trying to keep up with Natalie's rowing.

"But, I can't see him," she argued.

"That's doesn't mean anything," stated Trish. "He could have wanted to get out of the sun."

Natalie wasn't thinking rationally, as she gained speed. "But, he could have gotten sick, he could've fainted, he could've…."

Trish got a worried expression and turned to look at Natalie. "He's fine, okay? Look, we're here."

Natalie nodded, jumped out of the kayak and made her way onto the boat. "Keith?" she called, walking into the enclosed area of the boat. No sign of him. "Keith, where are you?"

Silence.

Breathing deeply she tried to keep her cool. She made her way quickly to the front of the boat and let out a huge sigh of relief when she saw his sleeping form. He was there and okay; he was curled up into a ball, fast asleep. The sun was aiming right at him, and Natalie could see his skin getting a pink tinge to it already. Natalie grabbed a towel that was lying on the floor and covered him with it, not wanting him to get any more sunburned than he already was.

Natalie turned around, intent on helping Trish get the kayak into the boat, only to bump into her. "Oh, hey. Didn't hear you behind me," she glanced past Trish. "You want me to help you get the kayak back in?"

Trish smiled as she glanced at Keith before sitting down on one of the boat's soft seats. "Already did."

"I could've helped you."

"It was easy. Anyway, can we talk?" wondered Trish.

"Sure," said Natalie, "about?" Natalie didn't understand why Trish had to ask to talk, making her think it was something serious.

Trish shrugged, glancing down at Keith, watching his chest rise and fall a few seconds before she began. "Something's going on," she declared. Natalie froze before she gained her composure and sat in a seat next to Keith. She stared at him for a minute before dejectedly looking at Trish.

"What do you mean?" said Natalie feigning ignorance.

"With Keith," Trish nodded her head in Keith's direction.

Natalie faked confusion. "How so?"

Trish scooted closer to Natalie. "I know we aren't best friends or anything and Brooke probably already knows, but—"

"Brooke doesn't know anything," stated Natalie, tinge of anger in her voice.

"Really?"

"Yeah. She's already having a hard enough time accepting the fact that Keith and I are kind of—"

"—A thing?" supplied Trish, smiling.

Natalie laughed, but it came out sad. "Yeah."

"So, is there something wrong with him? Or is he just not feeling well today?"

Natalie stared at the lake and whispered. "How'd you know? What made you think anything was wrong with him?"

Trish shrugged. "There were just tiny things. For instance, how much he's been sleeping, how little he eats, and how quickly he got tired when swimming. At first I thought that he was just not feeling well.

But, then I remembered the conversation about what he was going to do instead of going to college and you got so upset and it just didn't make sense. I thought back to school and how some days he'd coming in looking really… I don't know…just sick, I guess and he'd miss lots of days at a time, or leave early— Oh, shit. Natalie, don't cry."

"I'm sorry, I can't help it," she wailed.

"Shit, I'm right, aren't I?"

Natalie nodded sadly. "He's sick, really sick." It felt good to finally get it off of her chest. She hadn't told anyone, not even her parents. Her parents were a different story entirely; they knew nothing about him. What was the point telling them, anyone, really?

"Is he going to be all right?" Trish asked, dreading the answer.

Natalie shook her head. "No."

"What does he have?" Trish asked, eyes tearing up.

"Leukemia. I don't talk to him about it a lot, but apparently his chemo treatments didn't work. But, I'm not sure if that's even true. I don't know the full story. I just, I don't know."

"Brooke really doesn't know?"

"No, and please don't say anything."

"Why not? She would understand, Natalie."

"Because I don't want her to start liking Keith just because she finds out he's sick. I just wish she'd like him for _him_. He's just," she sighed, "he just misunderstood."

Trish gave her a sad smile. "Aren't we all?"

"Yeah, we are," agreed Natalie, "we are."

Trish and Natalie talked for a good hour, before Trish got up to start making an early dinner. They were going to head back after they ate, since they had a long drive ahead of them. Natalie continued to watch Keith sleep, wiping away a few tears that had streamed down her face.

Getting up, Natalie took the towel off of Keith that she had placed on him earlier. Natalie fit into the tiny space that was left next to where Keith was sleeping. Natalie positioned herself on her side, facing him and draped her arms over him. She laid there for a while, just watching him breath, feeling his heat radiating from him, making her warm.

She felt so right, lying here, next to him. She didn't know how long she laid there until she saw Keith's eyes flutter open. At seeing him awake she squeezed him tighter, wanting to keep this warm feeling with her forever.

"Hey," he whispered, his voice thick with sleep. He turned his head a little to look at her.

She felt tears blur her vision. "I love you," she whispered, squeezing him. She had to say it; she had to.

At this, he turned his head away from her and blinked rapidly a few times; his eyes were moving erratically as if he was contemplating something, suddenly he turned back to her. "I know, Partner," he sighed, "I know."

It was then that Natalie was positive that he wanted to say it back, wanted to tell her 'I love you, too', but he couldn't…wouldn't. Saying it back would mean something he couldn't give her.

Himself, to her, forever.

* * *

_Hope you enjoyed it, please review!_


	3. Goodbye, My Love

**A/N: **_Thank you guys so much for the reviews. I really, really appreciate them!_

_

* * *

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**Chapter Three: Goodbye, My Love**

It had been a week since the boating trip, and Natalie tried to spend as much time with Keith as possible. Reality was beginning to set in, though. It seemed to Natalie that everyday she went over to Keith's, he looked worse…sicker. His disease was finally becoming more aggressive, and Keith was starting to not be able to hide his symptoms. But, Natalie didn't mention it. She figured he wanted to live as normally as possible, until he couldn't anymore.

"Natalie, phone!" screamed her mom, Caroline. Natalie got up from her position on her desk. She was currently fixing together the carburetor that Keith had dropped at her door a few months ago. It was easy enough to put together, but there were a lot of small parts to it, which made it time-consuming.

"Okay," yelled Natalie back, getting up from her chair and grabbing the phone on her nightstand. She flopped back onto her bed, and answered it. "Hello?"

"Can you come over?"

"Keith, what's up?" said Natalie, recognizing his voice instantly. "I thought you were coming over here in an hour."

"Yeah, well, do you think you could come over here instead?"

Natalie made a confused face. "Sure, but I thought we were going to a movie."

"How about we rent a movie," suggested Keith.

"Why?"

"Do you not like renting movies?" asked Keith. "Do you have something against renting movies?"

"I have no problem renting movies, Keith," replied Natalie rolling her eyes. She tried to keep her irritation to the minimum.

"Good. How about you go to the movie store, pick up some movies and come over here."

"What has suddenly changed your mind about not going to a movie?"

She heard Keith sigh loudly on the other end. "I just don't feel up to it, okay? So, are you going to?"

Natalie knew that he was trying to divert from telling her that he wasn't feeling well, so she complied. "All right. I'll be over there soon."

"Don't forget the ice cream," said Keith before the line went dead.

* * *

"Did you bring the ice cream?" Keith asked when he opened the door before Natalie could even knock. He was wearing a pair of red and blue plaid pajama bottoms with a hole in the left knee and a ratty, old plain white t-shirt.

Natalie held up a grocery bag. "What is your fascination with ice cream today, anyway?" He shrugged before he took the bag from her.

"I just feel like it," he chuckled. "Thanks for getting me some." He kissed her on the lips, before he proceeded to open the bag and look at the ice cream she got.

"No problem. I didn't know what movie you wanted so I got a bunch to pick from."

"Awesome," said Keith as he disappeared into the kitchen. He grabbed two bowls from a cupboard and proceeded to fill them to the top with chocolate ice cream.

He reappeared seconds later, carrying two bowls, making his way to the couch. Natalie didn't bother to tell him that there was no way she was going to eat all of the ice cream he had filled in her bowl. Watching him sit down on the couch, she finally realized that the couch had on a comforter on it. There were also some magazines, and medicine on the table next to the couch. It looked as if he had been resting there for quite some time.

"Not feeling well today?" Natalie asked as he went through the pile of movies, and picked the one he wanted to watch. She saw a blush rise on his cheeks and he didn't answer; instead, he handed her the movie, _The Terminator_. "Good choice," added Natalie.

She went over and got the DVD ready, grabbing the remote as she made her way next to him on the couch. She leaned up against him and could feel heat radiating off of him. "You're really warm," she noted, sitting up a little and placing the back of her palm onto his forehead, he jerked away before she could get a good take on his temperature.

"I know," he said, a little annoyed. "It's fine."

"You sure?"

"Can we just watch the movie?" he spat, grabbing the remote from her hand and pressing play.

"Okay."

He turned to look at her, an apologetic look on his face. "I just don't want to talk about it, okay? I don't _like_ to talk about it."

Natalie nodded in understanding. "All right. It's fine."

Everything was going fine until the end of the second movie, when Natalie noticed Keith starting to act differently. He couldn't seem to find a comfortable position, and kept bringing his hand up to his forehead. Then, he would either be too cold or too hot.

Finally, once the movie ended, Natalie couldn't take watching him under this much distress any longer, she had to find out what she could do to help him. She turned her full attention to him. "Are you all right?" she glanced at him, concern radiating from her eyes.

He shrugged as he leaned his head on the back of the couch. "Don't feel well," he finally admitted, looking embarrassed.

"Worse than earlier?" asked Natalie.

He grunted as if he didn't want to talk about it, but then reluctantly replied at her look. "Yeah, I guess. I just have a really bad headache." He brought his hands up to his head and massaged his temples with his fingers, as if it would make the headache go away.

"Do you want me to get you anything? Medicine? Water? Ice for your head?"

He shook his head, grimacing. "I'm fine."

"You should at least drink some water," demanded Natalie.

He closed his eyes tightly, as he moved positions on the couch, his head now resting on a pillow. "Okay." Natalie suspected that he agreed so she would stop pestering him.

Natalie got up and went into the kitchen to fill a glass of water for him, placing a straw it as well, hopefully making it easier for him to drink from.

She walked over to him, and watched as he swallowed thickly before sitting up. "What time is it?" he asked.

"About eight, why?"

He shrugged. "Just wondering. My dad should be home soon." His comment scared Natalie. How bad was he really feeling? Why wouldn't he tell her what was wrong so she could help him?

"All right," said Natalie, not sure what to do or say next.

"You can start the next movie," mentioned Keith, placing his empty cup of water on the coffee table, and changing his position so he was facing the television.

Natalie placed another movie in the DVD player, and then sat next to Keith. He leaned up against her. She tried to pay attention to the movie, but she couldn't concentrate on it. Her thoughts and attention were focused on Keith, so when she could, she would avert her eyes to check on him. At one point, he changed positions, rested his head on a pillow, and fell asleep minutes later.

Just as the credits rolled on the movie, the front door opened and Keith's dad walked in quietly. "He asleep?" he asked, glancing at Keith's sleeping form on the couch. He placed his briefcase by the door, before he made his way over to his son.

Natalie nodded. "Yeah, for about an hour."

Mr. Zetterstrom walked over to where Keith was sleeping. He placed the back of his hand to Keith's forehead, sighed loudly, before he gently shook Keith. "Keith, wake up."

Keith opened his eyes slowly. "I don't feel well," he stated pitifully, once catching sight of his dad. Natalie wasn't sure if he remembered she was even there.

"I know, Keith," said Mr. Zetterstrom sadly. "You want to sleep on the couch again or go to your bed?" That's why there was a comforter and some of his stuff laying around, he had slept on the couch last night, realized Natalie.

"Bed," he stated, while slowly sitting up. Once he was sitting up he glanced over at Natalie. "I'm sorry, Partner."

"It's okay," whispered Natalie. She hoped that Keith couldn't tell that she was about to cry. She leaned over and gave him a kiss before Mr. Zetterstrom helped him stand up. "Sleep well, Keith," she added.

Mr. Zetterstrom walked into the living room a few minutes later, and sat down next to Natalie. "He says he's sorry again," he started. "I'm surprised he was able to act as normal as he did. He wasn't feeling well at all today."

"Yeah, I figured as much," said Natalie. "We were supposed to go to a movie, but he wanted me to come here instead. He didn't look too good, but wouldn't tell me what was wrong with him. He finally told me he didn't feel well but he wouldn't let me really help him."

Mr. Zetterstrom nodded in understanding. "I know how that is. He didn't sleep much at all last night. I was up with him most of it. I made him a bed out here finally, and he seemed to have gotten a few hours of sleep, thankfully."

"What was wrong?" asked Natalie, curiosity taking over her.

"Just the usual, headache, fever."

Natalie frowned. "Thanks for letting me stay here with him." She stood up and proceeded to gather her DVDs.

"No, thank you," he said. Once Natalie had grabbed all of her stuff, he led her to the front door. "It's nice to know that Keith isn't by himself all the time anymore. It just makes me feel better to know that he has someone."

Natalie felt tears blur her vision and she glanced down to make sure he didn't see them. "He's great, Mr. Zetterstrom," she whispered.

"Henry, please."

"Henry," Natalie gave him a watery smile. "I just wish…I don't know...that we had more time."

"I know," agreed Henry, he stared at Natalie for a few moments before adding. "You love him, don't you?" He narrowed his eyes at her.

Natalie nodded. "Yeah, I do. More than anything. He just, I'm not sure that he loves me."

Henry put his hand on her shoulder, making sure she was looking directly into his eyes. "Trust me on this, Natalie. Keith loves you—is _in_ love with you."

"But, how do you know that for sure? He never says it, not that it should mean anything, but it does, at least to me," she argued.

"Natalie, you have to understand that this is hard on Keith. I know it's hard on you, too. But saying that he loves you, to him, it will only give him more of the reality he doesn't want to face."

"I understand; I really do. It's just hard, really hard." Her voice cracked.

He smiled sadly, and opened the door. "I know. I'll have him call you tomorrow, okay?"

"Thanks. Goodnight," she smiled, and made her way out, closing the door behind her. Once she was in her car, she let the tears finally fall.

She couldn't loose him, she just _couldn't_.

* * *

The next day, morning came and went, and Natalie had yet to hear from Keith. At first she thought that he was still sleeping, but the later it got, the more worried she got. She thought about calling him, but didn't want to intrude, especially if he was still sleeping and didn't feel well.

Ever since her talk with Henry last night, it felt as if someone had taken out her heart and never put it back in. It felt like she was missing a part of her and it just hurt so badly. It was pain she had never experienced. At times, she felt that she could not take the pain anymore, and the most she could do was lie on her bed and _think_—think about Keith, of her life without him.

At around two in the afternoon a knock sounded on her door, before it swung open, giving her no time to reply. It was her brother, his usual smirk adoring his face. "Leave me alone," she muttered, pulling her comforter over her head.

He pulled the comforter down, giving her a strange look. "Hey, Nats," he began, "Um, phone call," he finished after she didn't speak or move.

She didn't even bother to lift her head off her pillow; she just lifted her hand in the air, waiting for her brother to place the phone in her hand.

"Hello?" she asked her voice quiet and hoarse from lack of use.

"Is this Natalie?" asked the voice. The voice seemed tired and sad.

"Yes, who is this?" The voice sounded familiar, but she couldn't place it.

She heard a sigh on the other end of the line before the voice answered back. "Henry, Keith's dad."

Natalie shot up in a sitting position faster than she thought possible, making her a little dizzy. "Oh my god. What-what happened? Did he—"

"He's all right. I just wanted to let you know that I had to take him to the hospital last night."

Natalie's heart was racing, and she couldn't seem to breathe properly; tears started to obscure her vision. "Why?" she whispered.

"I found him in the kitchen last night. He was dizzy, shaking, and had a fever. I tried to get him to bed but once he stood up he fainted. He's home already and sleeping right now. He should be fine within a few days," trailed off Henry, giving her the whole story. He must have known she would have pressed him for all of the details anyway.

"Do-do they know why that happened?" she asked, her hands were shaking and she couldn't seem to stop them.

"No, not really. It could be a number of things. Cancer lowers your immune system so he could just have a cold or something. They don't really know. They gave him an IV with some nutrients and he just needs to rest."

"I'm coming over," Natalie stated, not bothering to even ask.

There was a long pause on the other end of the phone. "I'm not sure if that's a good idea, Natalie."

"I have to see him," she hissed. There was no way he was not going to let her see him.

"He just he—"

"I'm coming over."

* * *

Natalie arrived at Keith's house in record time. She had left her house with her family staring at her in disbelief, having no idea why she was acting the way she was: quiet, depressed, and isolating herself. She had yet to tell anyone what was going on with her other than to Trish, who had kept her promise and not told anyone…as far as she knew.

It was too hard to tell her friends and her family that she had found someone, but that someone was going to be ripped away from her. And maybe, there was a part of her that didn't want anyone else to know about Keith, so that when he did die, it wouldn't be as horrible. The less people knew about him, the less that he would be brought up in conversation. Then, maybe, it would be easier for her to move on. Deep down, she knew that this was not going to happen—she would never be able to move on. It seemed impossible.

Natalie parked her car near Keith's yellow truck, and stared at it wistfully. Gone were those times when they could park at their spot and talk about things that didn't matter and things that did. Getting out of her car, Natalie walked to the front door, hesitating before knocking. She really hoped that she would be allowed in, at least to see him for a few seconds, to make sure he was okay. The door opened, causing Natalie to hold in a tiny gasp when she saw who had answered.

Keith.

The first thing that Natalie noticed was that he did not look good, he was leaning up against the door, and it was obvious that he didn't have the energy to even stand up straight. He was pale, sweaty, and visibly shaking. Weren't the doctors supposed to help him? He looked the same as Henry had described him.

However, regardless of lack of strength, once Keith noticed she was the one at the door, anger instead of tiredness crossed his features. "What are you doing here?" he asked, venom laced in his voice.

"I've come to see you," she stated. "To see how you're feeling."

"Nothing's wrong. What makes you think something's wrong? I'm fine." She could tell just from his voice that he was lying. Of course, anyone looking at him would know that he was definitely not _fine_.

"Well, I got a call—"

Keith huffed and ran a shaky hand through his hair and interrupted her. "From my dad, I bet. That's just great. There was no reason for him to call you, really. Both of you take everything _way_ out of line."

"Keith, he just wanted to tell me what happened. Last night, you fainted. You had to go to the hospital. I think that's serious. I think I have a right to know."

"That is my business, Natalie. I really think you need to leave. And, you know what? I think it would be best if you never came back. I have too many other things to deal with that you showing up randomly at my house."

"Don't you start this shit, Keith. What is this? The Pushing-People-Away Scene? Is that what you're doing? I thought we had an understanding." Why was he acting like this? Everything had been fine yesterday, why was he pushing her away now? She thought they had come to an understanding at the airport weeks ago. She told him she was staying with him until he left her.

He narrowed his eyes. "You don't understand anything about my situation, Natalie."

Natalie felt a tear roll down her cheek at his coldness. "Help me to."

Keith shook his head, his face an angry mask. "I can't, Natalie. Now, goodbye," he stated, before slamming the door. Leaving Natalie standing there alone and confused.

Natalie shook her head back and forth in sadness, now that he was getting sicker, he was starting to push her away, that was the only conclusion she could think of. He was scared, reality was setting in, and it seemed like he couldn't handle it.

She had to see him again; she wasn't going to take this, so she knocked loudly on the door. "Keith, _Keith_! Open the door! Don't do this!" Natalie screamed, she banged on the door, and jiggled the handle but it was locked. "Keith," her voice lowered considerably, "please."

She stood there for a few minutes, wondering what to do. She had at least gotten to see him, he was still alive. But that wasn't enough. She wanted to at least talk to him for a little while, to just _be_ with him. Shaking her head miserably, she turned around and started to make her way back to her car. She'd come back later and try and see him, when he had rested and cooled down.

"Natalie, stop," she whipped around surprised at the voice, Henry was standing in the entrance of the front door, gesturing for her to come back.

"Um, yeah?"

"You can come in. Keith is just having a very bad day. I should have told him you were coming over. Come on," he persuaded. She glanced back to her car and back to the Zetterstrom house.

She nodded slowly, licking her dry lips. "All right…" she said quietly. She walked into their small house, and followed Mr. Zetterstrom to the door of Keith's room.

"He's in bed. You can go try and talk to him. I think I may have talked some sense into him."

"Are you sure—"A phone rang, cutting Natalie off.

"Go on," he gestured, "I have to get that."

Natalie nodded slowly, and placed a shaky hand on the handle to Keith's door. She opened his door slowly, careful no to startle him. However, when she walked in, he was already laying in bed, fast asleep. She walked over to his bed, and sat on her knees staring at his sleeping form.

"God, Keith," she whispered. "Why do you have to do this? Why? I want to be here, you know that. Don't push me away, please." She moved his sweaty bangs away, and gently kissed him on the forehead, before standing up and making her way out of his room. "I'll come back later, Partner," she spoke. "Whether you like it or not," she added in a whisper.

Natalie walked into the living room where she thought Mr. Zetterstrom was in; however, she stopped herself when she heard him trying to yell quietly into the phone.

"Mike, I can't come in today. I already told you. My son fainted last night, I had to take him to the hospital. He's not doing well. I can't just leave him here by himself."

He was silent for while, the person on the other line was obviously speaking, but it must not have been good, because even from where Natalie was hiding, she could hear Henry sigh every now and then. "I know, I know I need the money. But, for God's sake Mike, my son is dying and you only give a shit about what work needs to be done."

Silence.

"Yeah, right. If I want to keep my job come in today. I know. Goodbye."

Natalie's heart was racing and she walked into the living room, acting like she had not heard his conversation. "He was sleeping," she began quickly. "I didn't want to wake him."

She saw Keith's dad turn around at her voice, and tried to smile, but Natalie could tell that it was forced. "Yeah, that kid can sure fall asleep fast."

"You think he'd mind if I came back later? I know he wasn't happy to see me, but I really want to talk to him. Would that be okay?" she asked in a rush.

"You can come back anytime you want," he said with a small smile. Natalie could hear the sadness in his voice.

"Great, thanks Mr. Zetterstrom." She walked past him, to the door. He seemed like he wanted to ask her something, but she had no idea what. "Bye," she spoke as she opened the door and started making her way down to her car; however, before she made it he was running outside after her.

"Natalie," he began, "I really hate to ask this, but my boss said if I don't come in today he'll fire me and I really don't want to leave Keith alone. Would you mind if you stayed and watched him? I would just feel so much better knowing that someone—"

She cut him off. "Of course I'll stay. I'd love to."

* * *

Natalie walked cautiously towards Keith's room. She hadn't heard anything from him for a good four hours, and was starting to worry. Could he really be sleeping this entire time? It was probably just her over imaginative mind, but she was worried that he had fainted again or something—it was best to check, right?

Gaining enough courage, Natalie quietly opened the door and cautiously stepped into his room. The curtains were drawn, so the room was dark enough that from her position she couldn't see whether or not he was sleeping. Quietly tip-toeing into his room, she made her way over to his bed.

He was still sleeping, his comforter was pulled up to his shoulders, and he had his head burrowed in his pillows. She glanced around his room for the first time. It resembled Keith in everyway possible. There were magazines about trucks and he had a car part on his desk that he seemed to be currently working on. His room was messy, but it suited him.

Natalie glanced around the room; heart hammering as she began to notice more items in his room that reminded her of_ them_—a pile of unopened and opened tic-tacs, a few bowling balls that were stored in a corner of his room, and of course, the Twinkies and beef stick that he had brought during their Picnic Scene. However, the most important item that caught her eye was his jacket—the jacket he was wearing the first time she had met him. In their Chemistry class—the class, that had changed her life. She remembered the first thing he had ever said to her.

_I haven't lied to you this far; I'm not going to start now._

But, that was it, wasn't it? He had lied, right from the start. He had lied to her from the very beginning, he hadn't wanted her to know anything about his life—it was all a lie. But, there was only so much he could lie before the truth came out, and that is exactly what had happened. But, the thing was, Natalie should've been mad, should've been pissed off, but in reality, she wasn't, because she understood, almost as much as Keith probably did. He didn't want to get too attached to her. But that's exactly what had happened—they had gotten attached.

They had fallen in love.

Natalie felt tears blurring her vision, she didn't like to think of this, think of how her life was going to change once Keith left her—she didn't want to go back to the person she was before she met him. She wanted to stay the way she was—she was herself mind and body when she was with him, and it just felt _right_. She had never felt this way, and she felt content, happy, whole; this feeling was _perfect_. Wiping away a few tears, she grabbed his jacket that was lying on top of his desk chair. She brought it close to her, breathing in the scent of him—of cinnamon and gasoline—the scent of Keith. To her, it was perfect because it was _him_.

"What are you doing here?" she heard a sleep-ridden voice asked, albeit angrily, causing Natalie to jump up. She brought the jacket down to her side.

Natalie looked up, Keith was now sitting up in bed, still half asleep. His hair was untamed and wild, but he glaring at her. "Hey, Keith," she said, quietly. He was mad, she could tell.

"I thought I told you to leave." He was staring right into her eyes, and it scared her.

"Well, I-I you…you did, you asked me to leave, but you see your dad had to go into work and he didn't want to leave you alone. He-he asked me to stay. I just came in here to make sure you were okay….you've been sleeping all day," she said all of this in a rush, trying to get it all out before he starting yelling.

"I don't need a freaking babysitter," he yelled weakly. However, even though his voice was weak, the venom was still there making Natalie tense up and back away from him.

"I'm sorry, but your dad had to go into work. He had to go in—"

"He always has to go in. What's new?" he retorted sarcastically, looking away from Natalie and promptly staring down at his lap.

Natalie huffed loudly. "Well, I'm sorry. I just wanted to talk to you but you make it so difficult. You're being so damn ridiculous!"

At these words, Keith jumped out of bed, coming face-to-face with Natalie, his breathing heavy and erratic. Stepping, if possible, closer to her, eyes glinting with anger, he whispered. "I'm not the one being ridiculous, Natalie. You are. Please, do the both of us a favor and just leave." Natalie thought she heard his voice crack, but wasn't positive.

She felt a tear roll down her cheek, but didn't move. She stared into Keith's green eyes, looking for a flicker of emotion to run across his face, for any type of emotion that would show her that this was just as hard on him as it was on her.

Nothing.

Quickly wiping the tears away, Natalie nodded in understanding. She was willing to fight, but she wasn't going to fight for him he wasn't going to fight for her…for them and the little time they had left. "Fine, if that's what you want, then I won't bother you anymore. Well, good-goodbye, Partner." She fled his room, just missing the flicker of emotion she was looking for to cross his face.

* * *

_Hope you enjoyed it, please review!_


	4. Dry Those Tears

**A/N: **_Thank you all for the reviews!_

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**Chapter Four: Dry Those Tears**

When Natalie got into her car, she realized that she was still holding onto Keith's jacket. At first, she wanted throw it on the ground, stomp on it, and forget about Keith all together, erase him from her memory. But she didn't; instead, she put it on, and the familiar scent of Keith was around her, lingering, never leaving. She was glad she had left with his jacket, because now, she would always have a part of him, no matter how much he didn't want her to. Ever since she had met him, he had always worn the jacket and to her, right now, it was more special than anything.

She drove home, her thoughts on Keith. If that's what he wanted, then she'd stop; she wouldn't see him anymore. However, a tiny bit of her hoped that he wouldn't be true to his word, he would call her, and everything would go back to normal.

But, then, deep down, she could feel the truth of the words that he had spat at her and her hopes faltered, becoming distant and too far out of her reach to grasp onto.

Arriving at her house sooner than she liked, she shakily unbuckled her seatbelt, making her way slowly up to her house. When she opened the door, she was not expecting the yelling that started.

"Where have you been, Natalie? It's been almost five hours. You leave this house, not telling us where you're going, and then you don't even answer your cell phone," yelled her mother.

Natalie shook her head, a look of shock showing on her face. She had totally forgotten about letting her parents know where she was. Her thoughts were always on Keith. Sadly, she couldn't bring herself to even care that she had worried them.

"I can't deal with this right now," Natalie whispered, looking up into her parents' eyes.

Caroline's eyes narrowed in anger, but then caught sight of what Natalie was wearing. "Whose jacket are you wearing? Have you been out with some boy? Really, Natalie we thought you had more sense than this," her mother admonished, trying to get a closer look at the jacket. Natalie hugged it closer to her, successfully allowing her mother not to touch it.

Her dad, Pete, spoke up, not caring about whose jacket it was. "Natalie, your mother and I are sick of this. You will sit down and tell us what's going on."

Tell them what was going on? _Mom, Dad. I am in love with a guy who is going to end up dying from cancer._ Hell, no. She was not going to say that. It seemed too heartbreaking. _Oh, and to top it all off, he doesn't want to see me anymore._ She would never tell them about Keith. Because if she did, once he was gone, they'd bring him up in conversation, make her talk about him, and that was something she didn't think she'd be able to handle.

Tears blurred her vision and she knew her parents noticed. "Natalie, if something bad is going on, we'll help you. But you haven't been yourself lately. What is going on with you?" her mom asked soothingly.

She pushed her way past her parents. "Nothing, just-just leave me alone. I can't do this right now," she cried, as she fled to her room.

* * *

Natalie stared the cup of coffee that was in her hands, watching the steam rise from the cup. It had been three days since she had last spoken to Keith, and as hard as she tried, she couldn't stop thinking about him. He hadn't called her, he was ignoring her, and it broke her heart.

Brooke was sitting in front of her, glancing over the menu trying to decide what kind of pie she wanted.

Finally making her decision, she placed the menu on the table and looked up. "Natalie," she started quietly, "what has gotten into you lately? I'm worried about you."

Glancing up at her friend, Natalie frowned. "I'm fine, really. Why does everyone keep saying that?"

"Because it's true," emphasized Brooke. "You can tell me anything, you know," she added. The look on Brooke's face told Natalie that she truly wanted to know what was going on, but Natalie couldn't tell her, because she just wouldn't understand.

"Nothing's wrong," she stated, glancing down at her coffee cup again.

"Right," Brooke added, still glancing at Natalie strangely. Natalie wished she would stop; the constant nagging and concerned looks were really starting to bother her. Finally, the waitress came over; temporarily stopping Brooke's looks. They both ordered a slice of pie, and an awkward silence followed, until Brooke got the courage to speak up.

"Natalie—"

She cut her off. "Look, can we not talk about, well, about that anymore?"

Brooke nodded regretfully. "Yeah, don't worry about it. Anyways, how's the college planning going? Have you decided what classes you're going to be taking?"

Natalie shook her head. "Um, no, actually. I-I really don't know what I'm going to do. Maybe, the Community College by my house, or I may wait a semester to even go to college. I'm-I'm not sure," she finished weakly.

Brooke choked on her coffee at Natalie's shocking words; she cleared her throat before she spoke. "You're thinking of going to Community College, or not even going? Really, Natalie, you got into Duke. I mean, there's nothing wrong with going to Community College, but you got into Duke, that's not something people just pass up. I know you don't want me to mention it, but this isn't normal. What has gotten into you? Was there something happened that I completely missed?"

_Yes_, Natalie thought sarcastically. _It's Keith, but I can't tell you, because you won't understand._

"You've changed, this is not the Natalie I used to know," Brooke added.

"Well, people change, don't they?" she replied venomously.

Nodding to herself, Brooke sighed and went back to her coffee. "I just don't understand," she whispered mostly to herself.

But, the thing was, neither did Natalie. She was changing everything about her life for Keith, and the little time they had left. Deep down she had known for a long time she wasn't going to go to Duke this upcoming semester. To her, being here with Keith was much more important. And, if Keith was gone before the fall semester, she didn't think she'd be able to handle Duke anyway. Duke could wait, and if they wouldn't take her when she was ready to go, then she'd attend another school. Even though she knew this, she didn't know why she was doing it. Keith had made it clear a few days ago that he wanted nothing to do with her, so why did she continue to think that he'd let her be with him? Why didn't she move on with her life, and forget him? It was simple enough, wasn't it?

The problem was, she just couldn't. It wasn't as simple as it seemed.

They lapsed into silence again, and then a few minutes later, Brooke spoke words that caused Natalie's heart to skip a beat. "Natalie, it's Keith."

Natalie looked ahead to where Brooke was pointing a few booths away. It _was_ Keith. Natalie took in his appearance, he didn't look much better than he had a few days ago.

After gaining her composure, Natalie responded. "Yeah, what'd you know." Her voice was quiet and dry. As hard as she tried, she couldn't keep her eyes off of him.

"You're not going to go say hi?" Brooke asked as she turned around. The waitress dropped off their pies, breaking Natalie's stare.

Natalie shook her head, as she grabbed her fork. "Um, no."

Brooke gave her a confused look, but didn't ask any questions, instead turned around once more, gave a glance at Keith before she added. "He doesn't look very good."

"No," Natalie answered, voice tight, "he doesn't."

"I wonder what's wrong with him. Do you know?" Brooke wondered.

"I have no idea," lied Natalie, "maybe he's getting over the flu or something."

Brooke cleared her throat. "Have you guys not been speaking?"

"No, not really," Natalie squeezed her eyes shut to keep the tears from coming.

"What happened?" asked Brooke. Natalie frowned at the happiness in Brooke's voice.

Natalie shrugged and picked at her pie. She didn't want to talk about him. She really just wanted to leave; even being in the same room with Keith was hard enough. "I think we got in a fight or something."

Natalie couldn't help herself and would glance out of the corner of her eye every few seconds to check on Keith. He was with his dad who was trying to prompt him eat some of the pie he had bought. Keith shook his head and placed it in his hands as if he was tired or had a headache. Mr. Zetterstrom said something to Keith who looked up and nodded and his dad signed the check. Natalie watched them get up, heart hammering. They were heading towards the direction of their table. Natalie knew they were going to notice her and she was right. As soon as Mr. Zetterstrom walked near enough, she saw the recognition cross his face and he grabbed Keith's arm gently to stop him.

"Natalie, hello," greeted Henry, "how've you been?"

Natalie caught Keith's gaze, and didn't take her eyes off of him. "I've been better," she replied sarcastically, her eyes boring into Keith who seemed incredibly uncomfortable under her sharp gaze. "Keith," she addressed, knowing it was a bad idea, but couldn't resist, "you seem to be doing better." Brooke gave Natalie a strange look.

Keith shrugged at her question, and glanced at his dad. "Well, I guess he is," replied Henry, confused. Henry was looking between Natalie and Keith, noticing their animosity between one another.

Mr. Zetterstrom spoke, clearly trying to keep the conversation going. "So, Natalie, we haven't seen you around in a while. Where've you been?" he asked.

Anger, and sadness flooded through her, making her shake. She stood up, not believing what she was doing. "I'm, sorry, but," she started, "I leave when I'm told I'm not wanted." She directed this towards Keith, her words full of venom and bitterness. She saw Keith flinch at the words.

"Natalie," Keith finally spoke. "I'm so sorry." She looked into his eyes and could see the pain and hurt in them, but she just shook her head. It was too late. _He_ was too late.

"You know what, Keith? How about you save it for someone who cares." _But you do care_, thought Natalie, _you care too much_. She shook her head, getting rid of her thoughts, not wanting to cave, to give in.

Without waiting for a response, she turned around, fighting to keep the tears at bay—she wasn't going to let him see her cry, she didn't want him to know how much he was hurting her, because if he knew this, then he'd know how much she still cared for him.

Before she could get far, she felt his hand grab her forearm to hold her back. His touched caused memories of him and her to flash back—his gentle touch, his warm breath on her neck, his soft kisses. Turning slightly around to look at him, her eyes shining with pain and want, she whispered, tears building even closer to the surface. "Keith, _let go_."

She felt his arm loosen and fall to his side at her words, without glancing into his face she ran out of The Diner, a sob echoing from her throat. The last words she heard were Keith's voice yelling. "Natalie, _please_." But she didn't turn back, didn't go back to him.

Getting into her car she didn't even bother to try and drive home. The tears that she had held back sprang to the surface. She was so sick of crying. Today, for the first time, her thoughts were confirmed—she wouldn't be able to get over him, to forget about him. As soon as she saw Keith, she knew, had known it all along, even though she tried to fight it, but she couldn't fight it and it hurt. He was going to leave her and she was going to be all alone.

She finally knew that there was no way she'd ever forget about him, she was too much in love with him.

"Natalie," a voice spoke as her car door opened. It was Brooke. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Brooke spoke. "I don't understand what is going on with you, but it needs to stop. I think this whole drama with Keith needs to stop."

Natalie turned and looked at her friend. "What do you mean?"

"He's changed you," Brooke stated.

"And that's a bad thing?" she retorted, pissed off.

Brooke nodded. "Yeah, I think it is. I'm sorry, I tried to like him, but he's changing you and I don't think it's for the best."

_Then you're blind_, thought Natalie. "I'm sorry," whispered Natalie. She wasn't going to argue, she didn't have it in her.

Brooke opened the passenger door, and got out. "Yeah, me too," she whispered before she closed the door, leaving Natalie alone.

* * *

The ringing of a cell phone woke Natalie up. She opened her eyes sleepily, glancing around her room, shocked to find it dark. After leaving The Diner she had come home and fallen asleep and must have slept through the rest of the day. Without checking who was calling her, she grabbed her phone, and answered sleepily. "Hello?"

At first there was just silence. But then, the voice on the other end spoke. "Hey, Partner." Natalie felt her heart skip a beat, out of all the people she expected to call; she definitely was not expecting _him_.

"Keith?" she said.

"The one and only," he whispered.

"What's up?" she asked, worried at his sad tone. Why was he calling her? "Is something wrong?" she added.

He was silent for a while, but then, suddenly, he spoke words that made Natalie's heart break. "Yes," his voice cracked, "everything's wrong."

Natalie sat up in bed, if Keith was acting this way something was horribly wrong. What had happened since she had last seen him, earlier today?

"What's wrong?" she asked, heart beating quickly in her chest. He was being extremely vague.

He didn't seem to want to discuss what he had just said. "Could you—do you think you could—" He seemed unable to ask her something.

"Yes?"

She heard him take a deep breath. "Do you think you could come over?"

Natalie was quiet for a while, shocked at his question. He actually wanted her to come over, even after he had kicked her out? At first, she thought to refuse, yell at him, make him feel the pain she had felt, but hearing how upset he sounded there was nothing else she could do but comply. "Of course, I'll be right there. See you soon." She was about to hang up when he spoke again.

"Natalie?" he asked.

"Yes?"

"I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"It's okay." She hung up the phone, grabbed Keith's jacket, which seemed to be a habit now, put it on, and left her house quietly, careful not to wake her parents.

* * *

She made it to Keith's in less than twenty minutes. She pulled up next to his truck and got out of her car, her eyes on his house. Keith was standing outside, his back leaning against the front door. He was wearing his old, grey t-shirt, and her favorite blue pants that had a hole in the knee.

Walking up to him she glanced at his face for any signs of what was going on. He gave her a forced smile as she made her way up the steps to his porch. She stared at him for a while, waiting for him to say something. Then suddenly he averted his gaze to the ground and seemed more interested in his shoes than her arrival.

"Hey," she started, trying to break the silence, as she walked up the last step, "are you all right?" She didn't like this silence. It took Natalie a few minutes to realize that he wasn't looking at her because he was trying to compose himself. She stood there, having no idea how to act. Natalie felt a strong urge to hug him, but stopped herself, she had no idea how he would react, so instead, she placed her hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him.

"What's the matter?" she asked, concern radiating from her voice. She could tell he was trying to calm himself down, because suddenly, he glanced up at her, tears shinning his eyes. For the time being he seemed to have been successful and no tears had fallen.

"You know that night?" he began, his voice was so quiet that she had to strain to hear what he had just said.

"What night?" Natalie asked just as quietly. The look on Keith's face was causing tears to blur her vision. She had never seen him look so incredibly defeated, vulnerable, and heartbroken.

"The night that you asked me to go boating with you?" he wondered, blinking back tears.

Natalie nodded. How could she forget? "Of course I remember."

"You know how you said that you were in love with me?"

"Yes," she said sadly, "I remember that."

"And do you remember the other time when we were boating and you said you loved me, right when I woke up?"

Natalie nodded again, not sure where he was going with this. "Yeah, Keith, I remember."

"You know how I never said it back?" His voice broke.

Natalie glanced into his eyes and nodded slowly, a frown on her face. "Yeah, I know you didn't, but, hey, it's okay."

He blinked rapidly and swallowed thickly. "No, it's not. I didn't say it back because," he stopped, breathing deeply.

"Because why?" prompted Natalie.

He swallowed thickly again and licked his dry lips before answering. "Because I was scared, I couldn't face the truth. I thought if I said it, everything would seem more real," he whispered, eyes focused on the ground.

"The truth?" wondered Natalie.

He looked up and nodded, his green eyes shinning with more tears, it was obvious he was beginning to loose his battle with them. "I'm in love with you, too. I'm sorry if I ever made you doubt that."

Natalie blinked back tears. "You love me?" she asked. She was surprised she was so shocked at his declaration. Ever since she had confessed her love to him, and he didn't say it back, she had a terrible feeling that maybe he didn't say it back because he didn't love her back.

He nodded. "Yes, I'm so in love with you, and I'm sorry I never said it before, but I just had to; I couldn't keep it in anymore. I, just, I wanted you to know." He took in a shaky breath bent his head down to stare at the ground, his shoulder shook with what Natalie suspected were sobs.

"Oh, Partner," she whispered, trying to fight her own composure. She gently grabbed his face in between her hands. She lifted his face up so he was looking into her eyes. Tear marks were visible on his cheeks, and his eyes still shined with tears. "I love you." A tear slid down his cheek, even though he tried so hard to prevent it. She took her thumb and gently wiped it away. "I'm completely, hopelessly, in love with you," she declared, a sob echoing from her throat.

Keith made a restrained noise, as if he was trying not to breakdown even more before he moved the few inches they were apart together and smashed his lips against hers, in a needy, powerful kiss. Natalie melted into his familiar touch and the familiar taste of his lips. She could feel his wet eyelashes against her cheek, and she tasted his salty tears. "Don't cry," she whispered into his ear, as she broke the kiss, "not tonight. Tonight we don't think about anything but _us_." One last tear slipped down his cheek before he nodded, opened the door that was behind him, grabbed her arm, and led her into his room.

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_Please review._


	5. Runaway

_**A/N:**__ Thank you so much for the reviews. I really, really appreciate them! Just a warning, the T rating is prominent in the first part of this chapter—nothing too bad, I promise._

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**Chapter Five: Runaway**

_She was sitting at a table, her hands gripping a cold cup of what looked to be tea. She brought her gaze up, looking around at her surroundings. She looked to be in the kitchen of Keith's house, but why? Why was she here, without him? Where was he?_

_A few seconds later a door opened, and a few people entered, their faces somber._

"_What's going on?" she asked them, standing up._

_The people that entered looked at her concerned. "Natalie, are you all right?" asked one of the older ladies. They were all wearing black. Why so morbid?_

_Was she all right? She thought so; she was just a little confused. She just wanted to find Keith and then everything would be okay. "I—I'm fine. I'm just a little confused. Where's Keith?"_

_The older lady that had spoken to her walked up to her, and grabbed her hand gently. "Sweetie," she started her voice overly sweet, "we've just come from Keith's funeral. Don't you remember?"_

"_What?" Her voice cracked._

"_His funeral, sweetie. You don't remember?" _

_She shook her head. This _had_ to be a dream, because Keith was still alive. She glanced down and noticed that she, too, was wearing a black dress. Had she really just come from his funeral? "I don't understand. Keith can't be…dead. Who are you?" she demanded. _

"_I'm Keith's grandma, dear."_

_The other two ladies in the room continued to give Natalie sympathetic looks that made her throat tighten. "He's not dead. He can't be," she whispered, eyes filling with tears._

"_We're sorry, dear. We know Keith loved you very much. He—he didn't want to leave you, but God had other plans for him," sympathized Keith's grandma._

"_Well, maybe He should have changed them! He shouldn't have taken him away." Was this really happening? Was Keith really gone? It just didn't seem possible, she couldn't remember him dying, but they said he was dead._

_Gone. _

_The ladies gave each other looks, before Keith's grandma nodded and quickly left the room. Natalie sat down, thoughts running through her head, she was shaking, and her throat was tightening. _

_Was this normal? To forget that he had…died? Was this part of the grieving process? The kitchen door banged open, distracting Natalie from her thoughts. Natalie noticed the face immediately—Keith's father, Henry._

"_Hey, Natalie. I hear that you are upset," he said soothingly._

"_Upset?! I'm just confused. They," She pointed to the three ladies, her voice laced with venom, "are telling me Keith is dead." Her voice cracked._

_Pain flashed across Henry's face, and at that moment Natalie knew it was true—knew that Keith was dead. _

"_He's dead, isn't he, he's gone?" she blinked rapidly. "He's left me."_

Natalie's eyes shot open, heart beating rapidly. At first, it took her a few seconds for her to remember where she was.

She was still at Keith's

Lying still for a minute to even out her breathing, and calm herself down, a million thoughts ran through her mind. Had it been a dream—or—a nightmare? Why was she having these nightmares? She knew they were nightmares, but why did she always think they were real? Why did she always believe that they were true? She rolled over onto her side, and let out a sigh she didn't know she was holding. Keith was still here.

He was where he was supposed to be. With her.

It was then that something registered in her mind. "Oh my god!" she whispered frantically, quickly sitting up. She wasn't wearing any clothes. Embarrassed, she grabbed Keith's comforter and covered herself with it. Glancing over at Keith, the sheet that covered him stopped just below his waist, making her suspect that he wasn't wearing any either. Natalie sat there, comforter wrapped around her for a few minutes, before she looked at the clock that was sitting Keith's desk. It was eight in the morning, the time caused her heart to skip a beat and she quickly turned to shake Keith awake.

"Keith, Keith. Wake up," she whispered frantically. How could they be so careless? Henry had probably already come home from work. What if he had come in to check on Keith, only to find her in bed with him, and to top it off with no clothes on?

"Go away," he mumbled, swatting her hand.

"No, Keith, stop. You _need_ to wake up!" She shook him again. Getting irritated, he grabbed the sheet that was covering him, and pulled it over his head.

"Leave me alone," he mumbled again. It was very early in the morning, but there were more pressing matters to deal with.

Getting angry, Natalie stood up, wrapping the comforter more tightly around herself. Once she was out bed, she tore the sheet off of him. "Get up."

At the sudden loss of his sheet, Keith shot up in bed, fully aware that he wasn't wearing anything either. "Hey, give me that back," he yelped, trying to grab the sheet from Natalie's grasp, but she pulled it away from him.

"Knew that would wake you up," she laughed, but suddenly became serious again, realizing why she was so adamant in waking him up. "Keith, your dad—I—I think he's home, or will be home soon."

Keith glanced at her and rolled his eyes. "So?" he asked as he ripped the sheet out of Natalie's now loose grasp and covered himself with it.

Natalie glared at him. "Keith, if you haven't noticed we're both unclothed," she reprimanded, but all Keith did was give her a sly look and plop back on his back, letting out a low chuckle as he stared at her. He placed his hands behind his head, his eyes glistening with amusement. His careless attitude just made Natalie angrier. She huffed in anger.

"Oh, boy, you are so cute in the morning," he added a moment later, as he watched her stand there, anger coming off of her in waves.

"This. Is. Not. Funny!" she hissed, emphasizing every word. While holding the comforter tight around her with one hand, she grabbed one of his pillows and hit him on the chest with it, but it didn't succeed in shutting him up, he only smiled wider.

She hit him again and he didn't even wince, just caused him to laugh. "Man, you're feisty in the morning," he commented. "I kind of like it…" Another hit, but this time he grabbed the pillow from Natalie, before she could pull it away.

"Keith, stop it," she pouted. He chuckled. "Give me it back," she demanded.

He shook his head. "Natalie, don't worry. I'm positive my dad hasn't even thought about checking on me." His look showed her that he was serious.

Natalie looked doubtful. "What makes you think that? He-he—"

"Your car is parked outside, you're no where else in the house. Really, Natalie, my dad isn't stupid."

Natalie nodded, but another thought crossed her mind. "Oh my god. What is he going to think of me? I—I think I should go. Maybe he's not up yet or even here. I'll just sneak out of—" Keith chucked again, irritating Natalie further, making her stop her rant. His complete lack of seriousness was really starting to infuriate her.

"Partner, calm down and come here. You're looking so cute right now…how about you let me see how long it takes me to get that comforter off of you…"

"Keith," she admonished, trying to hit him with her hand, but it wasn't as successful as the pillow; instead, he gently grabbed her arm and she fell onto his bed. "This is not the time to be—" He broke off her sentence with a kiss, successfully shutting her up as he pulled her down on top of him, the comforter slid off down to her waist, she felt herself blush and he smiled at his cunning. "Keith," she whined, trying to pull it up around her again, but he held the comforter tightly.

"Hey, if you do that, I'll take the whole thing off…" She stopped, and glared at him, mindful of his threat. "Why are you up so early in the morning, anyway?"

She gently trailed her fingers down his arm. "I-I had a nightmare," she admitted.

"A nightmare? About what?" he asked concerned.

"You were gone….gone," she whispered, blinking back tears the memories the nightmare brought forth.

"Gone?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yes."

"What do you mean gone?"

Natalie shrugged. "You were…dead. I don't understand," she sniffed, "I keep having these nightmares of you dying, of you being gone. One day, these nightmares, they aren't going to be nightmares anymore, they're going to be reality."

"Shhh," he said soothingly. "Don't let those stupid nightmares bother you, okay? Let's not think about them right now. I'm here now, right?"

Natalie nodded. "You're right. Right now, you're alive, with me."

"And that's all that matters," he stated, placing a loose piece of hair behind her ear. "I really think you should sleep over more often," he smirked.

"Why?" laughed Natalie.

"Because then, I could do this," he said before gently bringing her lips down to his. Natalie complied, forgetting about everything, her mind only on Keith and his soft lips.

* * *

Sunlight was streaming through the curtains, making Natalie squint her eyes from the brightness. She turned her head a little and glanced at the clock; they had slept in another two hours. It was now nearing ten in the morning. Her head was resting on Keith's chest, and his arm was wrapped around her, making it difficult for her to move, she didn't want to wake him up, but had no other option. And, she really didn't want to walk out of his room alone; it would just be too weird, and too embarrassing.

Deciding that he would probably appreciate a more proper wake up this time, she gently moved his arm off of her. Instead of the movement waking him up, he just issued a low irritated moan before he moved onto his other side, his back now facing her. She took her fingers and lightly began trailing them down his bare back, hoping this would slowly wake him up.

After a few minutes, she called to him, seeing if he was waking up yet. "Hey," she whispered quietly, "time to get up." He really wasn't a morning person, she mused.

"Hmm…it's too early…" he mumbled, his voice thick with sleep.

Natalie sat up, and bent over to look at his face, his eyes were still closed, and it looked like he was falling asleep again. She bent down and kissed him on his temple. "Time to get up," she repeated, kissing him again before getting out of bed and locating her clothes.

Natalie finished putting her shirt on, before glancing back at Keith who had not moved. Grabbing a pair of plaid flannel pajamas she threw them on the bed. "Put those on," she commented before sitting on the bed to wait for him.

He rolled over on his back, his eyes half open, and he seemed to be having a hard time keeping them open that much. "What time is it?" he asked, before he grabbed his pajamas and put them on.

"Ten."

Keith yawned and Natalie glanced at him. "How're you feeling?" she asked, he did look a little flushed.

He shrugged as he ran a hand through his hair. He glanced over at Natalie who was staring, waiting for an answer. Sighing he answered. "I feel all right."

"All right?" Natalie commented. That didn't sound good. She wanted to hear, _fantastic, great, perfect_. But, she knew that wasn't something she probably was ever going to hear from him.

"Yeah, I'm-I'm just tired, okay? And have a headache. But, it's nothing to worry about."

Natalie nodded slowly. "Are you sure? If you want to sleep more, you can. I just—"

He smiled but she could tell it was forced. "Shh..." he whispered, "Besides I don't want to spend the whole day sleeping. I'm starving, let's go get breakfast."

"Sounds good to me," she agreed. A few minutes later, she followed him out of his room and into the kitchen.

Mr. Zetterstrom, unfortunately, was in the kitchen when they walked out. Keith made nothing of the situation and as soon as he entered the kitchen he grabbed his dad's cup of coffee that was sitting on the counter and sat down at the kitchen table. Mr. Zetterstrom was in the process of cooking some eggs, and didn't bother to look up when he spoke. "Keith, give me back my coffee." He took the eggs off the burner and looked over to Natalie. "Good morning, Natalie," he said, indicating for her to sit down at the table as well.

Natalie's throat felt dry when she replied. "Um...morning, Mr. Zetterstrom," she said as she quickly walked over to where Keith was and sat down next to him. This was so incredibly humiliating to her and Keith was sitting there acting like this was nothing.

"Henry, remember? Keith, really, it would have been a lot better if you would have graced my presence with a shirt on," said Henry as he glanced at Keith for a few seconds then went back to preparing breakfast.

Keith just chuckled, which Natalie found incredibly attractive. "I'm hot," he replied.

"I'm sure," Henry said sarcastically. He placed the frying pan with the eggs on the table. "Eat up," he stated as he handed Keith and Natalie a plate. He brought over some bacon and toast and Natalie watched as Keith dug in. _Good sign_, she thought. _He's at least eating. _

They finished their meal in relative silence; they all helped clear everything up when Keith declared that he was going to take a shower. Natalie watched him as he went into his room, grabbed a set of clothes, and disappeared into the bathroom.

Natalie finished clearing up the table, and went to walk into the living room where Keith's dad had taken a phone call. She was just about to say thanks for breakfast when she heard him angrily whispering on the phone. Natalie halted before he could see her, not sure if she should interrupt his phone call. However, from where she stood, she could hear Henry, and every few seconds she heard Keith's name. The object of the conversation made Natalie stay where she was, listening. She knew it was wrong, but she couldn't help it.

"I realize that Dr. Normandy, but I can't afford it. His entire medical insurance has maxed out," she heard Henry whisper distressed. "We've been fighting this for the past two years; I've run out of money. I can barely pay the house bills anymore."

He stopped speaking, obviously listening to what the person on the other line was arguing. "I know. I don't—I just don't have the money. Even if I got five jobs—"

He was interrupted. The doctor seemed to be extremely adamant about something. However, Henry, this time wouldn't listen. "Dr. Normandy, I have to go. I can't listen to this any longer. I'm sorry."

Natalie felt her heart start to race; her eyes started to tear up. Was there something Keith hadn't told her? Natalie didn't realize that Henry had gotten off of the phone and had walked back into the kitchen, being so consumed up in her thoughts.

"Natalie?" Mr. Zetterstrom asked. It was pointless to even act like she hadn't overheard.

"Is there something Keith hasn't told me?" she asked. She hadn't meant to be so blunt, but she had to know.

Mr. Zetterstrom sighed, she thought he was going to get mad at her for eavesdropping on his conversation, but instead he just looked at her sympathetically. "Yes, but Natalie," he whispered, "Keith doesn't want you to know."

"Know what?" she asked, beginning to get frustrated.

Henry shook his head and looked to be debating whether or not to tell her. "The thing is, Natalie. Keith has been through chemo once, and everything was fine, but it came back. The cancer came back."

"You mean he relapsed?"

He nodded solemnly. "We thought everything was going well a few months ago, but he got sick again and it was back."

Natalie thought back to a few months ago, and a thought struck her. "Is this why he was gone for those two weeks, during school?"

Henry forced a smile. "You have a good memory, but yes, it was."

"So, why can't he do more chemo? Is that what Keith's doctor on the phone was trying to tell you?"

He sighed, a resigned look on his face. "Dr. Normandy wants Keith to go through more chemo; he's very optimistic it will work."

"But?" asked Natalie, knowing even though the news sounded optimistic there was more to it.

Henry shrugged. "I just don't have the money. Chemo is expensive, Natalie, and his insurance has maxed out and I just can't afford it."

"You can't just-just not do anything," she cried. "You're telling me, he could possibly live, if he does more chemo, but you can't do it?" She saw pain cross Henry's features and she felt bad mentioning it. She was so preoccupied with what she just found out that she didn't hear Keith coming out of the bathroom and walking over to her and his dad.

"Natalie," his father started, looking over at Keith who was confused at what was happening. "There's nothing more I can do. I'm so sorry, trust me, I wish there was something that I could do—some miracle that would happen."

Natalie let out a sob. "But you have to," she whispered.

"What's going on?" asked Keith suddenly, wondering why Natalie had begun crying. He walked over to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"She found out, Keith."

Keith didn't even need to know what his dad meant. He looked over at Natalie who looked into his eyes, hers filled with tears. "Keith, you have to do something, you can just…not."

"Partner," he began and Natalie was surprised that he hadn't begun yelling; instead, he looked at her with a sadness she had never seen before. "You have to understand that there's only so much we can do. You have to realize that," Keith took a minute to compose himself, obviously having a hard time saying the words he needed to say. "You have to realize that I'm going to _die_. I am _dying_."

Another sob escaped Natalie unwillingly and she shook her head in pure denial. "No, no, no. How can you just say that? You can't just accept that. You can't accept that there's a chance you could live and not do anything about it."

Keith just shook his head; he looked like he was about to breakdown as well. "There's nothing else we can do." His voice broke.

Natalie glanced at him, shaking her head back and forth. "I-I can't deal with this right now." Another sob escaped against her will. "I'm sorry. I have to go." She pushed past Keith and his dad, and ran out of the house. She knew she should have stayed and talked to them, but the news was too much for her to handle.

"Natalie," Keith called, trying to catch up to her. "Don't leave, please, let's talk about this. NATALIE!" She heard him yell, but she didn't turn back, couldn't turn back.

Backing out of their driveway, she glanced at Keith once more, but regretted it almost instantly. The look on his face, so full of sadness, heartbreak, and pain, haunted Natalie the entire drive home.

* * *

_Hope you enjoyed it. Please, review!_


	6. Catch Me When I Fall

**A/N: **_Thank you to Purple Shamrock 17, m81170, and Wildwren for the reviews. They really mean a lot to me!_

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* * *

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**Chapter Six: Catch Me When I Fall**

Natalie wasn't sure how she made it home. But, once she did, she sat in her car and broke down. She couldn't stop the flood of tears from falling, the news she had just received made her feel like someone had punched her in the stomach. It was almost harder to comprehend that Keith was going to die when there was something that could be done to possibly save him, than him dying knowing they had tried everything possible.

She didn't know how long she sat in her car crying, before she heard a loud, persistent knocking on her car window. Wiping away the tears that were falling down her cheeks, she glanced up to see her brother, Zach, looking at her with the most concern she had ever seen him give her. Knowing that he wasn't going to leave her alone until she spoke, she opened the car door and got out.

"What?" she asked, keeping her gaze on the ground as she walked up to her house.

"Natalie, what is going on?" he asked. "You were missing all last night and then I find you crying in your car. Mom and Dad are really worried," he emphasized.

She didn't answer. Answering would possibly cause her to breakdown again. But, just as she opened the door to her house, Zach said something that caused just that.

"This is about that truck guy, isn't it?" he asked.

She wheeled around, pointing her finger into his chest angrily. "Don't you _dare _ever mention him. _Ever_." She stopped to control her breathing, but it didn't help; instead, she just began to hyperventilate. "Don't mention him, again, ever. Just—" She couldn't finish her sentence and instead she collapsed to the ground in sobs.

She cried like she had never before, she cried harder than she had when she found out Keith was dying, she cried harder than any moment she could ever remember. Everything that had happened and was going to happen finally hit her. Keith was really, truly dying. It wasn't something that was just a figment of her imagination, it was the truth; it was reality. She had fallen in love with him and he was going to leave her, she was going to live in a world without him and, right now, at this moment, she didn't think it would be possible.

Suddenly, her mom, Caroline, was next to her, kneeling down. "Natalie, talk to us. Who is this truck guy? Did he hurt you?" Caroline asked. Natalie looked up between sobs, to see her whole family kneeling down next to her.

"His name is Keith," she confessed. She couldn't keep it to herself anymore, it wouldn't have been impossible to do so

Understanding crossed her mother's face. "Wait, Keith? That sounds familiar was he your lab partner?"

Natalie nodded. "Yeah, that's when we met. We were labs partners in chemistry," she sighed.

"Has he hurt you?" Caroline repeated.

Natalie shook her head. "No, he's never hurt me," she stated.

He hadn't, he had never hurt her. He was everything good in her life. Without him she was going to be lost. "He's-he's dying," she choked out before dissolving into tears again. She didn't know why she told her parents, but it had come out. Now, there was nothing she was going to do. He was going to leave and she was never going to be able to move on.

"What do you mean, dying?" her mom asked, trying to get her to talk more.

She looked into her mom's eyes. "He has Leukemia."

Caroline sucked in a breath before glancing at her dad, Pete, as if he would know what to say, but he shook his head, just as lost as she. Finally, her mom glanced back to Natalie, placing her hand gently on Natalie's as a sign of comfort. "Are you sure there's nothing," began her mom gently, as if worried how Natalie was going to react, "nothing they could do?"

At her mother's words, a thought suddenly struck Natalie. "You have to do something, you have to. I can't watch, I can't bare to sit here and do nothing," she cried. Grief was making her feel like she was going to be sick.

"Natalie, you need to calm down," stated Pete.

"You have to help him," she whimpered, tears sliding down her cheeks.

"What do you expect us to do?" Pete wondered. "Sweetie, these things happen there's no real cure to stop these things."

Natalie shook her head. "But there _is_. You have to help. He needs chemo. You have to get the money." Her parents looked at each other again, this time with shocked expressions. Natalie continued. "He relapsed, and his doctor says that he has a good change of living if he does more chemo treatments, but his dad, he can't afford it."

"Natalie," her dad began, serious, "what makes you think we have the money for this?"

"I don't know, but it doesn't matter you have to help him. Take-take my college money and use it. I don't care, just do something!" She was trying to find some miracle, some hope.

"Natalie, we can't just go giving up our savings for some boy you just met because you have a crush on him," stated Caroline.

Natalie glared. "He's not just some boy."

"This is getting ridiculous," said Pete seriously. "You need to stop thinking about Keith and start focusing more on your ambitions and dreams. You're ruining your life."

"Are you serious?" she laughed. "The fact that he's dying is ruining my life. I can't believe you. I tell you he's dying and all you care about is about my ambitions and dreams. You know _nothing_ about me," she growled.

"Natalie," started her mom. "Of course we care that he's dying, what kind of people do you think we are? But, sweetie, you have to see if from our point of view. Ever since you've met him, you've gone downhill. You've stopped caring about Duke as much; you and Brooke barely see each other anymore. By your actions we're bound to think something bad is going on."

Natalie's anger dissipated, and now she was just consumed with sadness and grief, she didn't have it in her to be angry anymore. "You guys, you just don't understand. You don't understand at all." She shook her head in disbelief. "You can't see it can you?" she asked.

"See what?" her mother wondered.

She gave them a weak smile. "See that I'm in love with him."

* * *

Hours had transpired since the confrontation Natalie had had with her family. Once she had declared her love for Keith, she had disappeared into her room, and no one had followed, which she was thankful for.

Natalie was lying on her back on her bed when her parents walked in. She glanced up to see both of them with sad, yet concerned looks on their faces. After glancing at her parents' faces she sat up in bed, wondering what was causing them to carry such looks.

"What's going on?" she asked, her mom came and sat next to her on the bed and her dad pulled out her desk car and sat down.

They were silent a minute before her mom grabbed her hand, trying to comfort her. "What's going on?" she repeated, her heart began beating faster.

"Sweetie," her mom started, "your dad and I talked and we have come to the conclusion that—" Her mom stopped to take a deep breath.

Natalie glanced to her dad and then back to her mom. "What?" she asked her voice persistent and pleading.

"You have to understand, Natalie, that we only want what's best for you. You have to understand how we're viewing your actions," finished her dad.

"I know, but what's going on?"

Her mother took in a deep breath, and then spoke words Natalie was not expecting to hear. "We don't want you to see Keith anymore."

She stared at her parents for a few minutes, not quiet believing the words they had voiced, but once the words sunk in she pulled her hand away from her mom's grasp. "Excuse me?" she asked her voice angry and laced with venom she had never directed towards her parents.

Her dad spoke. "He's not good for you. You're totally throwing away your ambitions and dreams for some boy. We've never even met him, Natalie. We don't know anything about him."

"I'm not throwing away my ambitions and dreams. He happens to be my life right now." Her dad shook his head in disbelief. "And what does it matter if you've never met him? Why does that change anything?" she added.

"You confessed your love for him. We don't think you know what it means. We're concerned for you. Your Mom and I think this boy is saying things to you to make you do things you don't really want to do," stated her dad.

Natalie had nothing more to say. They could not, and would not, prevent her from seeing Keith. He only had so much time left, and she would not spend that time away from him. "I'm not going to do it. I am not going to stop seeing him," she said calmly. She was sick of everyone telling her what to do.

"We won't allow it," her mother fought back.

Natalie whirled around to look at her. "And you think you can stop me? I'm eighteen years old. I can make my own decisions." Grabbing a backpack from underneath her bed, she started rummaging through her dresser drawers, grabbing some sets of clothes; she went into her bathroom and grabbed a few things before she reappeared.

"What-what are you doing?" Caroline asked worried.

"Leaving," Natalie sated. She zipped up her backpack and turned to look at her parents. "I'm not going to stop seeing him. It's ridiculous. You guys may not believe it, but I'm in love with him. He only has a little time left and I _will _not be stuck here with you guys. I _will_ be with him." Natalie grabbed her car keys that were on her desk, and quickly turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" Caroline asked. Her dad looked beyond pissed that he couldn't even form a sentence.

"Keith's," stated Natalie.

"You're making a big mistake, Natalie," whispered her mom, not bothering to keep the disappointment from her voice.

"What I'm doing now is not making a mistake. No, I made a mistake today, when left Keith's, and that is a mistake I don't plan on making again." Giving her parents one last look, she walked out of her bedroom. She was going back to Keith's, a place she shouldn't have left in the first place.

* * *

Driving up Keith's driveway, she noticed that Henry's truck was parked there as well. She made her way slowly up to the front door, but hesitated, she didn't want Henry to know she was here—he was probably mad at her for leaving, and upsetting Keith. Glancing around, she noticed Keith's bedroom window, and a thought entered her mind.

Walking quietly on the gravel, she stood on her tip-toes and glanced into his room. Squinting, she was just able to make him out, on his bed, asleep. Taking a deep breath, she tapped on his window lightly. However, Keith being a deep sleeper, she knew she would have to tap louder. Hoping that he would not get mad, she tapped louder. This time, she noticed him start to wake up. She continued tapping, and suddenly he shot up in bed, glancing around his room, the magazine that had been resting on his chest, fell to the floor. She tapped on the window again, and he glanced over in her direction. Once he caught sight of her, he got out of bed, and opened his window.

"Partner," he said, "you scared the crap out of me."

"Sorry," said Natalie sheepishly. "Do you think you can come outside, please?"

He nodded and a few seconds later he walked outside. "Hey," she said.

"Hi." His hands were in the pocket of his jeans and he was giving her a look she couldn't quiet decipher. "What're you doing here?" he asked.

Instead of answering, she did something that surprised even herself; she walked over to him and just hugged him. He didn't push her away; instead, he complied. Taking his hands out of his pockets, he wrapped his arms tightly around her, before resting his chin on top of her head. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"For what?" he asked. By the surprised tone in his voice Natalie suspected that he didn't think she had anything to apologize for.

"For today, just leaving like that." She regretfully broke away from their hug to look at him.

He shrugged. "Hey, don't worry about it. I understand."

"I know, but still. I left when you called and you could've explained more. I was just trying to…I don't know—"

"—run away from it? Maybe if you could run away from it, far enough, it won't be true. It would just be a nightmare, and maybe, soon, you'll wake up?" Keith spoke softly.

Natalie nodded. "Yeah, something like that." She placed her head on his chest again, and he hugged her closer.

"I've been there," he whispered, "and as much as you want to, you can't really run away from it. Is that why you came over here for? To apologize?" he asked.

"Well, yes, mostly. But I also don't really, technically, have a place to go…"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Natalie hesitated. "My parents and I got into a fight," she stated.

"About?" Keith persisted.

Natalie gave Keith a small smile. "You."

Keith gave her a surprised look. "Me?"

"Yeah."

"And?"

"Well, today, when I came home I was kind of, I don't know hysterical." She glanced at the ground, her face flushed with embarrassment. He didn't say anything, only waited for her to continue. "Well, they were mad at how I've been acting and I kind of told them I was in love with you." She glanced back up.

He gave her a tiny smile. "They don't like the fact that you're in love with me, why? Because I'm dying?" he asked.

"No, no, that's not it. They think you're crazy or something. I don't really know. But, after that they told me I couldn't see you anymore…so naturally I left and came here."

Keith chuckled. "My, my, you've turned into a rebel…"

"Only for you," laughed Natalie, before Keith suddenly bent down and kissed her on her lips.

When they broke away from their kiss, Keith's eyes shined with excitement. "Hey, I have an idea."

"What's that?" she asked. He didn't answer, instead, grabbed her hand and led her to his truck. "Where are we going?" she wondered.

He turned around suddenly, causing her to bump into him. "It's a surprise."

* * *

"Strike!"

Natalie squealed as she flung her arms around Keith as he kissed her firmly on the lips. "I knew I would get one," she confessed. "Even though it was the last frame of the game." Keith chucked as he kissed her on top of her head, before letting go of their embrace. "Hey, you okay?" she asked, noticing he was shaking a little.

He smiled, but Natalie thought it looked a bit forced. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"You're shaking," she stated.

He shrugged. "That's nothing new."

"You want to go home?" she asked.

"No, let's get that pizza like you wanted," he replied adamantly. Natalie agreed, but decided to pay more attention to how he seemed to be feeling; she was worried that he was trying to hide how he really felt.

While making their way over to the food area, Natalie suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. "Oh shit," she cursed, grabbing Keith's hand tightly.

"What is it?" he asked, glancing at her concerned.

Natalie jerked her head to the right, making sure to keep her gaze straight ahead. "It's Raff,' she whispered.

Keith glanced over to see Raff with a group of friends that he had never seen before. Raff caught Keith's gaze, and glared. "Don't worry; just don't look at him, okay?" said Keith soothingly, trying to calm him down.

Natalie nodded. "He just looks really pissed, I'm afraid he might like do something."

"What's he going to do in here?" mentioned Keith, rubbing his thumb gently across the back of Natalie's hand. Natalie nodded in reassurance, and without glancing in Raff's direction, Natalie still keeping a firm grip on Keith's hand, made their way into the food area. Just as she was about to look for a table, she heard someone call her name.

She turned around to see Brooke and Travis, sitting at a table. Brooke, however, didn't smile at her when she noticed who she was with.

"Oh, hi," Brooke stated. "I thought you guys weren't talking," she said.

Natalie sighed loudly. "Well, we are. What do you want?" she asked.

Brooke must have realized that Natalie wasn't going to take her attitude towards Keith. "You guys should sit down," she indicated to the empty chairs across from them. "We've just ordered a large pizza, definitely enough for us all."

Natalie debated for a second, before complying. If Brooke was willing to let Keith come, then she'd try. "Okay," she agreed. Gently leading Keith to the table, she could tell he was hesitant about it, but thankfully he didn't complain. When they sat down, Natalie glanced over at Keith with worry, his hand was clammy and it seemed like he was shaking more.

The four of them sat in relative silence for a while. Natalie and Keith ordered some drinks, but no one said anything. It was incredibly awkward. Travis and Brooke kept glancing at both of them, but they didn't say anything, and Natalie didn't say anything either. Honestly, she didn't know what to say and she was getting increasingly worried about Keith, she swore that he was paler now than he had been a few minutes ago.

The next time she turned to glance at him, their eyes met. "You okay?" she mouthed.

He grimaced at her question, but nodded. She knew he hated that she asked him that all the time, but she felt that he was lying. "Just tired," he replied after a few seconds.

"Well, if you want, we can go," she whispered.

He interrupted her. "No, it's fine. I'm _fine,_" he whispered back, glancing over to make sure Brooke and Travis hadn't heard their exchange.

Their pizza finally arrived. Keith took a few bites of his piece, before he placed it back on his plate as if he was done. He looked at Natalie, giving her one of his famous lopsided grins.

Brooke took a bite of her pizza before she finally spoke, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "So, Natalie, what have you been up to?" Brooke asked, with, what Natalie thought a hint of sarcasm.

"Nothing much, you?" she asked. It was awkward how strange sitting with her was, they had been best friends for years, it shouldn't be like this.

"Just getting ready to go to Notre Dame," said Brooke, taking a sip of her soda.

Brooke she turned to Keith. "So, what about you? Are you going to school?"

Keith leaned his elbows on the table and leaned forward. "No."

"No?" Brooke replied. "Oh…What are you going to do, then?"

He narrowed his eyes before answering. "I'm going to truck shows."

"Wow," spoke Brooke, not bothering to hide the roll of her eyes. "Um, truck shows, how _neat_. Aren't those kind of lame?"

Natalie felt Keith stiffen at Brooke's last comment. "At least I have hobbies," hissed Keith.

"Excuse me?" Brooke spat back, narrowing her eyes as well. "Are you saying I don't have hobbies?"

Keith chuckled. "Maybe," he smirked, leaning back in his chair.

Natalie cut in. "Guys, please stop."

Brooke glanced over at Natalie. "I think we should leave," stated Brooke, glancing at Travis, whose eyes were wide.

"No, please, don't," blurted out Natalie. "You were here first."

Keith spoke up. "Look, it's me that's causing all the arguments I'll just leave. It would be my pleasure, anyway," he stated, standing up quickly and walking away from their table, before anyone could stop him.

"Keith, wait," called Natalie, but he didn't turn around, only made his way out of the bowling alley.

Natalie turned to Brooke. "Why did you have to say that? Can't you just accept the fact that we're together?" wondered Natalie.

Brooke shrugged. "I don't really like him, Natalie. I mean I tried to like him, but I just don't think you guys are meant to be."

Natalie stood up. "And why's that? Give me one reason why I shouldn't be with him."

"Natalie, he's a freak, you deserve better. Wait, where are you going?" asked Brooke frantically, watching Natalie walk away.

Natalie whirled around. "To find Keith."

"So, you're going to choose him, then?" stated Brooke. "You're going to leave with him?"

Natalie frowned. "I never wanted to choose sides, Brooke, but you're making me. I didn't think friends were supposed to make each other pick sides," whispered Natalie.

Brooke was silent before she found her voice. "I didn't mean…I'm sorry," she finished lamely. "I shouldn't have said that. I didn't mean to make you choose sides."

Natalie wished she could believe her. "Look, when you decide you don't care that Keith and I are dating, and you can learn to like him for who he is, then come find me, but right now, I just can't deal with it." She turned her back to Brooke, leaving her there shocked, before going outside and looking for Keith. And he was there, standing next to the door.

He had waited for her.

Spotting Natalie, Keith walked up to her, and placed his hand into hers, their fingers intertwined. There were no words, and there didn't need to be.

A few feet from Keith's truck, his hold onto her hand was torn away and the next thing Natalie knew was that Keith had been thrown harshly onto the parking lot. "Stay away from her, man." A voice spoke. Natalie knew that voice—Raff's voice.

Keith sat up slowly, his face showing a tiny flicker of pain when he moved his back to sit up. "Man, you need to chill out," Keith commented, as he stood up. Natalie went to go help Keith. But at Keith's last words, Raff got angrier and instead of flinging him to the ground again, he grabbed Keith tightly by his shoulder and dragged him along, Keith tried to fight against Raff's hold, but he didn't look like he had the strength to tear away.

"Get off him!" Natalie screamed, grabbing onto Raff, trying to pull his grip loose from Keith. Raff pushed Natalie away, making her stumble. He slammed Keith into the side of Keith's truck, causing Natalie to wince at the mask of pain that crossed Keith's face.

"STOP IT!" she screamed, beginning to become hysterical.

"Stay out of this, Natalie," yelled Raff venomously, looking back at her, before he turned his attention back to Keith.

Another slam.

Natalie saw Keith's struggling began to get increasingly weaker at every slam. "You need to stop hanging out with Natalie. You are screwing up her life," demanded Raff.

Finding his voice, Keith finally spoke. "Man, I'm not forcing her to do anything."

Another slam.

"Shut the hell up!" Raff snarled. "Stop hanging with her."

Not being able to bare it any longer, Natalie grabbed onto both of Raff's arms, digging her nails into his skin, this caused him to let go of his grip on Keith. Raff turned to face Natalie; she let go of his arm, eyes narrowing in anger. When she spoke, her voice was harsh and laced with venom. "Get. Away. From. Him."

"He's no good for you, Natalie," stated Raff.

"Raff, I'm with Keith. I love him. You and I, we're over. We'll always be over."

Raff shook his head in denial. Natalie glanced over at Keith, who was breathing deeply, and looked to be just as shocked at the turn of events as Natalie was.

"Fine," snarled Raff, "pick the freak."

Natalie watched as Raff stalked away. It wasn't until Raff was out of view that she noticed she was shaking uncontrollably, breathing deeply she turned to check on Keith. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," he stated. "Let's just go home."

* * *

The drive home was silent; Natalie kept glancing at Keith every few seconds, trying to make sure he was okay. He kept repeating that he was fine, but she didn't believe him. He had been slammed into his truck, that wasn't something to take lightly. She decided to stop questioning him and wait until they got home, then she'd check the damage herself whether he liked it or not.

They arrived back at Keith's house in twenty minutes, from the corner of Natalie's eyes, she watched Keith wince as he got out of his truck. He wasn't fine, and he was going to let her help him.

"Your dad asleep?" whispered Natalie, once they made it into Keith's room.

Keith turned the lights on. "Yeah, he has to be into work early tomorrow," he mentioned before gently sitting down on his desk chair. Natalie didn't miss the small grimace that crossed his face.

"Keith," she started gently, hoping that he wouldn't get mad again. "Take your shirt off."

"You trying to get me to take my clothes off already?" he smirked. "We've only been in here for a few minutes," he joked.

Natalie shook her head, sensing he was trying to make a joke out of the situation. "Even though I love you with your shirt off, you need to take it off, because I need to see how badly you're injured."

Keith's smirked faded. "I'm not injured, I'm fine," he demanded.

"Keith, you were slammed into a truck," she stated, but at the look on his face she hurriedly added. "Don't try and deny it, I've been watching you; you could barely get out of your truck without it causing you pain."

Keith rolled his eyes. "You're making it sound way worse that it is," he said, before getting off of his chair and promptly landing on his stomach on his bed. "I'm tired, time to sleep."

Natalie huffed loudly, crossing her arms; she stood there staring at Keith for a few minutes. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her and before she could decide whether or not it was a good idea, she did it. Sitting on his bed, she quickly lifted his shirt up, and her heart skipped a beat at the huge bruise that was already vivid on his back. She went to gently touch it, but Keith rolled away from her.

"What are you doing?" he hissed, scrambling to pull his shirt back down and sit up.

Natalie's eyes were wide. "Keith, your back, it's already bruised."

He glared. "I told you I'm fine."

Natalie glared back. "Apparently, you aren't," she argued, throwing her hands up in the air in disbelief. "You're being ridiculous; I'm just trying to help you." She got off of Keith's bed and made her way towards his door.

"Where are you going?" panicked Keith, getting up and following her into the kitchen.

Natalie began opening and closing drawers, looking for something. "I'm getting you ice to put on your back. Where do you keep your bags?"

"I don't need any ice," snarled Keith, his momentary panic turned back into anger.

Natalie slammed a cabinet closed and walked up to Keith, anger coming off of her in waves. "Why are you being so difficult? Are you embarrassed or something?" she asked. At this question, she knew she had finally caught on. A blush rose on his cheeks, answering the question for him.

"I'm not embarrassed, okay?" he lied. "You're just making a big deal out of this, like you always do."

"Keith—"

"What going on in here?" Henry's sleep filled voice broke their argument. He walked down into the kitchen, squinting at the two of them.

"Natalie's being ridiculous," blurted out Keith.

"I'm not," she argued. She turned to face Henry, her voice soft. "We went bowling tonight, and my ex decided to slam him into his truck. He has a huge bruise on his back but won't let me help him."

Henry's face turned one of confusion to worry. "Let me see, Keith. Pull up your shirt."

"No."

Henry walked next to Keith. "Okay, if you don't, I will. You decide."

Keith glared at Natalie once more, before grabbing the end of his shirt and pulling it up. This movement caused his to hiss with pain. "Happy now?" he said sarcastically.

"Keith, this is a pretty nasty bruise," Henry stated, gently running his fingers down it, causing Keith to tense from the pain the touch caused. "You said he slammed you into a truck? How many times?"

"Can't remember," he stated, staring at the tile.

"At least three," supplied Natalie. "Where do you keep your plastic bags? I was going to get him some ice to put on it."

"In the drawer by the sink," said Henry, before turning back to Keith. "Let's get you into bed," said Henry before turning his attention to Natalie. "Do you think you could get him some water and some Advil? It should be in the bathroom cabinet."

"Yeah, no problem," said Natalie as she filled the bag with ice. Once she filled it full, she walked into the bathroom and got the medicine and filled a cup with water before making her way back into Keith's room.

When she walked in, Henry was placing the back of his hand against Keith's forehead. "You're a bit warm and shaky, are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine. I've felt great today," he said, making sure to glance at Natalie and give her a look that told her not to even being to mention to Henry his symptoms at the bowling alley. Natalie didn't mention anything; she was worried he was already mad that they had gotten his dad involved. She handed Keith the cup and two pills, which he swallowed before placing the cup of water on his desk.

Once Keith took the pills, Henry spoke. "If you're sure. Lie on your stomach." Keith did as he was told, yawning while doing so. Once Keith was situated, Natalie placed the bag of ice on his back.

"How's that?" she asked, sitting down on the bed next to him. "Keith?"

"Better, I guess," he finally admitted, voice soft.

Henry stood up. "Seems like he's about to fall asleep, so I'll get back to bed. Sleep well."

"Night," said Natalie watching as Henry closed the door.

Keith turned his head to look at Natalie, placing his arms under his pillow. " I can take care of myself, you know."

Natalie kicked off her shoes, took off her sweater, and climbed into bed, facing him. "Really? I hadn't realized," she smiled, gently running her hand through his hair.

He glared at her, but this time it was for fun. "Funny, Partner, real funny."

"You're all right, though?" wondered Natalie, staring in his eyes, praying he wouldn't lie just to make her feel better.

"I'm fine, really, I am," he said sincerely. He brought his arm up to gently trail the side of her face.

"If you say so I feel like—"

Keith interrupted her. "Don't even begin to blame this on yourself. It wasn't your fault, okay? Raff is just psycho."

Natalie sighed. How did he know exactly what she was thinking? "All right," she agreed, she smiled and she kissed him on the lips. "You can't deny that the ice makes it feel better, right?"

He smiled before closing his eyes. "Maybe," he whispered.

Natalie watched him for a while, until his breathing evened out and she knew he was asleep. She sat up and turned off the lamp on his desk, before facing Keith, waiting. Twenty minutes later, she took off the ice, pulled the comforter up to cover both of them and closed her eyes, falling asleep almost instantly.

* * *

Not more than a few hours later, Natalie woke up to Keith tossing and turning so much that she couldn't manage to fall back asleep. He was either rolling onto a certain side, or throwing the covers off, then a few minutes later only to pull them back on. It was obvious to her that he was not sleeping well, and this worried her. She knew he hadn't felt well at the bowling alley, and to her, it looked like he was feeling worse. She sat up, leaning over a little to gaze at him.

He was on his side facing away from her for the time being, but from what Natalie could see he looked to be having trouble breathing, and his hair was matted to his forehead, making Natalie suspect that he had a fever. Heart pounding she looked around his room, as if something in it would give her answers.

Nothing did.

However, before Natalie could contemplate whether or not to wake him up, Keith rolled over onto his back, emitting a loud sigh before trying to take a deep breath. He kicked the covers off of himself again before he draped one arm over his forehead, as if he was trying to quell a headache. Something was definitely not _right_.

Suddenly, to Natalie's surprise, Keith sat up. He had his head in his hands, but Natalie couldn't tell if it was from dizziness or a headache. "Keith?" she asked, her brows furrowing in confusion. "Are you okay? Is it your back?"

He didn't bother to listen to her; instead he shook his head, signaling that he did not want to talk. He crawled over her, and got out of his bed. When he stood up he was shaky on his feet. "Where are you going?" Natalie asked.

"I think I need to get my—" he began, but didn't finish his sentence; instead, he became more unsteady on his feet and had to place his hand on his desk for support.

"Keith, you're scaring me. What's going on?" Natalie asked as she got out of the bed. He wasn't acting normal, something wasn't right. Not speaking, Keith brought a hand up to his forehead as he suddenly stumbled forward. If his hand had not been on the desk for support, Natalie was sure he would have fallen over. "Keith?" Natalie asked frantically. She was standing next to him, watching him intently, not sure what do to. "I think I need to go get your dad."

He nodded in agreement, and then took in a deep breath. "I think I'm going to—" He stumbled again hitting his desk, causing a few things to fall off and land on the floor. He seemed to be getting dizzier. This wasn't a good sign.

"You need to sit down," Natalie demanded. She needed to get him to sit down, and then she was going to go get his dad, but she couldn't leave him like this. She gently grabbed his arm, and turned him around, facing her. However, seeing his face made her gasp out loud. His face was pale and there looked to be a thin layer of sweat covering his face. However, the thing that worried her the most was his eyes. They were moving erratically, it seemed like he wasn't able to focus onto anything.

"Natalie," he whispered in one breath. "I nee—" He grabbed Natalie's arm tightly in panic.

"Let's just get you on your bed, okay?"

But before Natalie had the chance to do so, his grip on her arm loosened and before she had the chance to catch him, he fainted, hitting his head on the corner of his desk as he fell.

Natalie's terrified scream echoed throughout the entire house.

* * *

_Please review!_


	7. Shattered Pieces

**A/N:**_ Thanks for the reviews. _

_Just to let you guys know, I've made some changes to some of the chapters. Chapter five I changed the beginning a bit, and chapter six I added a new scene._

_ There were a few things with these chapters that I felt needed to be changed (thanks to Purple Shamrock 17 and m81170 for the suggestions). I do hope that these changes make the story stronger._

_

* * *

_

**Chapter Seven: Shattered Pieces**

Waiting.

That's what Natalie had been doing for the last few hours.

She had never felt more anxious in her entire life. She hated the waiting and not knowing. She hadn't heard anything about Keith's condition, or how he was doing.

If he was going to be okay.

Natalie couldn't stop thinking of what she could've done, should've done. She kept blaming herself that it was her fault that she hadn't told Henry that Keith hadn't been feeling well at the bowling alley. She blamed herself for not getting Henry soon enough, she blamed herself for not catching Keith when he fell.

Most of all she blamed herself because she just knew there was something she could've done to help him.

Natalie's phone rang, breaking her depressing thoughts. Shuffling through her purse, she grabbed her cell phone, not bothering to check to see who was calling.

"Hello," she answered, glancing outside.

"Natalie. Where are you?" Natalie froze at her mother's voice. "We're worried about you. You're father and I have talked and we'd like to talk to you."

Throat tightening, Natalie answered. "I'm at the hospital." It was all she could say before tears welled up in her eyes and she had to stop speaking in fear that the tears would start to fall.

"The hospital?" her mom said, frightened. "What happened? You aren't hurt are you?"

"No, I'm fine," she reassured her. "It's Keith."

"What happened, Sweetie?" Caroline asked. She seemed genuinely concerned, so Natalie told her.

Silently, tears fell down Natalie's cheeks, and she could see other people in the waiting room watching her with sympathy. "I should've gotten his dad sooner, but I didn't want to just leave him. And then-then he fainted, and I couldn't catch him in time…" she cried. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to get the image of Keith fainting out of her mind.

"Natalie, you need to calm down. Everything's going to be okay."

Everything _wasn't_ going to be okay. "I can't, I _can't_ calm down!" she screamed. The people in the waiting room, who were still staring at her, glanced away at her sudden outburst. "I'm sorry," she lowered her voice.

"Natalie, maybe you should come home. I can come get you. You can sleep a little. Then, you can go visit Keith later after you've rested."

"I can't leave him," Natalie whispered. "I have to wait and see if he's okay. I need to be here."

"Are you sure?" Caroline asked. "Do you want me to come over there?"

"No, it's fine. I'll-I'll call you later, okay?"

Caroline sighed. "Okay, sounds good. Your Father and I still want to talk to you."

"All right," agreed Natalie. Dr. Normandy walked over to Natalie and sat down. "I have to go, but I'll call you later, promise. Bye," she said as she hung up her phone, before placing it back into her purse, and glancing at Keith's doctor.

"Everything okay?" asked Dr. Normandy.

Natalie nodded. "Yeah, it was just my mom. So, how's Keith? Is he all right?" she asked hurriedly.

"Yes, he's doing fine. We want to keep him here for a few days for observation since he's fainted twice. He also has a high temperature that we want to monitor."

"Do you know what's wrong?" asked Natalie.

Dr. Normandy sighed. "Looks like he caught some type of bug and with his lower immune system it's causing his body to react differently and more aggressively. We've given him an IV with nutrients, but honestly it's about all we can do. What he really needs is chemo," stated Dr. Normandy sadly.

Natalie frowned. "Yeah, I know."

"I had a question, though, about something that concerned me."

"What's that?"

"He had a pretty bad bruise on his back, but he wouldn't tell me where it came from. Do you by chance know?"

Natalie nodded. "Yeah, I know. We went bowling last night, and on our way out," she paused, glancing back up to Dr. Normandy, "my ex slammed him into his truck a few times."

Natalie watched as Doctor Normandy wrote something on his clipboard. "I see why he wouldn't tell me," he laughed, trying to lighten up the mood.

Suddenly, a horrible thought struck Natalie. "The bruise," she began, "that didn't cause him to faint did it?"

Dr. Normandy shook his head. "No, I was just making sure that it wasn't a symptom we should be looking into. It had nothing to do with him fainting, I'm assuming that Keith hasn't been feeling well for a few days, but didn't bother to tell anyone."

"Sounds like Keith," sighed Natalie.

Dr. Normandy nodded. "So, do you want to go see him? I think he still might be up. He's tired from all the tests we've given him, but I think he'd want to see you for a minute."

Natalie smiled. "Definitely."

Dr. Normandy stood up. "I'll show you to his room." Natalie grabbed her purse and followed him.

Natalie wasn't prepared to see the state Keith was in, so when she walked into his room, she had to suck in a tiny gasp. He was lying on his hospital bed; a thin sheet covered him up to his waist. He had been changed out of the clothes he had arrived in, and was now wearing a pair of hospital pajamas. His left arm was next to his side palm up with a needle stuck in the crook of his elbow, which was hooked to his IV. A bandage was covering the left side of his face, which was where he had hit his head on his desk when he had fainted.

Natalie didn't like seeing Keith like this. So vulnerable, so weak.

So sick.

His eyes were closed, and not sure if he was asleep, Natalie quietly brought a chair up next to his bed. Running her fingers gently through his matted hair, she pulled up his sheet, making sure he wasn't too cold.

A few minutes later he opened his eyes. "Partner," he whispered voice weak.

"Hey," Natalie whispered back. "How're you feeling?" She bent down and kissed him on his forehead, frowning that it still felt too warm.

Natalie helped him sit up in his bed. "I'm feeling okay. Is my dad here?"

Natalie frowned apologetically. "He had to go into work. He told me to tell you that he's coming over straight after he gets off."

That news seemed to brighten Keith up a little more. "Okay."

"Don't ever do that to me again," demanded Natalie. Keith grabbed Natalie's hand tightly in his right hand, before staring into her eyes..

"I won't," he whispered. Natalie was shocked to see tears in his eyes.

At this sight, a tear fell from Natalie's eye and fell onto Keith's sheet. A tear escaped his eye right after, falling onto his pillow. "I'm so sorry, Partner," he whispered. Natalie understood; understood he wasn't talking just about last night, he was talking about _everything_. "Just promise me something, okay?" he asked. His voice was persistent, but sad. Natalie nodded.

"What?" she wondered as a sob broke from her throat. She wiped away another tear that was falling down his cheek, and he followed suit on her.

"Promise me that—" He paused as he directed his gaze from her eyes up to the ceiling, blinking rapidly. "That—"

"What?"

"That when I'm gone, you'll try…you _will _move on. Promise me that you'll go to school, follow your dreams."

Natalie felt as if someone had torn out her heart. She stood up, heart hammering. His words echoed in her mind, and she walked a few feet away from him, her hand covering her mouth in shock at his words.

As the words coursed through her head again, she felt herself begin to shake and felt as if she was going to be sick. "Don't talk like that," she hissed. _I can't deal with it right now,_ she thought. "What did the doctor tell you for you to be talking like this?" she demanded.

He didn't answer her question. "Please, just promise me," he pleaded. "I need to hear you say it."

Natalie shook her head frantically. "No, don't ask me to do it. I won't do it. I can't promise you that." Tears fell down her cheeks and she hastily tried to wipe them away, but it was pointless since more continued to follow.

"Natalie, you have—"

She cut him off, hysterical. "Stop," she demanded. She walked back over to him, her face only a few inches away from his. She could see tears in his eyes, but she didn't care. She had to make him understand. "Don't ever tell me to move on," she said.

"Promise me, that you'll at least try." His voice broke.

Her face changed to one of anguish. "Try?" she cried. She paused. "_Try_?" More tears fell down her cheeks and she let out a small sob. "I can't try, Keith. It's impossible. Life won't be right. I won't be _right_ without you. Nothing will ever be right unless you're here, with me. You can't do this to me. Why are you doing this?" she wailed.

Unnoticed to Natalie, a nurse walked in, hearing the commotion. Natalie was so hysterical that she didn't see the tears and the distress that Keith was in. The nurse glanced around, noticing Keith's discomfort she quickly grabbed Natalie's arm gently.

"Miss, we're going to have to ask you to leave," told the nurse gently.

"No," she screamed, just now realizing the nurse had a grip on her arm. She tried to pull away, but was too upset and didn't have much strength. "You can't make me. Don't make me leave him," she cried.

"You're upsetting him; it's not good for him. You can come back tomorrow, okay dear. When you've calmed down."

At the nurse's words, Natalie stopped ranting; allowing the nurse to lead her out of the room. She glanced at Keith one last time, but he had turned on his side, his back facing her. She walked away from him, her heart broken if possible into more tiny, shattered pieces, never to be whole again.

* * *

A full day had passed and Natalie still hadn't gone back to the hospital to see Keith. She wanted to make sure that she wouldn't cause another scene like she had. She had to give herself some time to grasp the words that Keith had asked of her.

To say that Natalie felt ashamed was an understatement; she couldn't exactly comprehend why she had acted the way she had and why had those words affected her so much. Deep down she knew he was dying, knew he was going to die. So, why, when he asked her to move on, did it make everything seem that much worse?

Was it because it made it just that more real? She didn't know.

Currently, she was in her room, busy putting together the carburetor part that Keith had dropped off a few months ago. Her process of putting it together had stopped a few weeks prior, but this morning she had seen it lying on her desk and had the biggest urge to finish it. However, it probably hadn't been the best idea, since the sight of it caused her to think about Keith. A topic she tried not to think of. The problem was, though, that everything was starting to remind her of him. He was on her mind constantly and now even the smallest and most random things reminded her of him. Even if he wasn't around her physically, he was still…there, everywhere, surrounding her.

Natalie jumped when she heard a knock on her bedroom door, wiping the grease off her fingers with some paper towel that was on her lap, she called, "Come in."

Her door opened a few inches, and Natalie glanced up expecting it to be her parents; however, she was shocked to find Brooke standing at the entrance of her room. Natalie didn't say anything, her hands had frozen during their process of cleaning, and she just stared, shocked.

"Hi," Brooke said quietly, she let herself in, watching Natalie's reaction.

Natalie followed Brooke's movements. "Hi," she replied slowly.

Brooke looked around Natalie's room, then back to Natalie. "You know, Natalie, I have to apologize," she whispered, keeping her gaze on the floor. "I didn't mean to make you choose between Keith and me."

Natalie could hear the sincerity in Brooke's voice, and nodded. "I know."

Brooke glanced up, a relieved smile on her face. "I heard," she stated bluntly.

"Heard what?" Natalie asked, as she finished rubbing the grease off her hands and throwing the paper towel in the trash.

"About," Brooke took in a deep breath, "about Keith."

Natalie stopped what she was doing, turning her back away from Brooke. "How?" she asked.

"She doesn't want you to get mad, but Trish, she told me."

Natalie's eyes narrowed in anger. "What? I told her—"

Brooke interrupted. "Let me finish. You see, after you said that stuff at the bowling alley last night, I was really upset and I called her and she told me. Just, please don't be mad at her. I made her tell me, so if you're going to be mad, be mad at me."

"It's okay," Natalie sighed.

"I'm so sorry," whispered Brooke. "I hope you believe me." Brooke's voice cracked.

Tears filled Natalie's eyes and she shrugged. "It's all right. I should apologize, too. If I would've just told you what was going, if I would've just been honest with you, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"I understand why you didn't, I wasn't necessarily that accepting of Keith," mentioned Brooke.

"Yeah, well, I can see why. Ever since I've met him is when I started acting differently."

"Still, I should never have judged him. Instead, I should've gotten to know him, and now, it's too late," cried Brooke, suddenly covering her eyes with her hand to hide her tears.

"Hey," soothed Natalie, "It's okay. Don't cry, please."

"He probably hates me," sniffed Brooke. "I was such a bitch to him."

"He doesn't hate you," stated Natalie. "I don't think Keith could hate anyone."

Brooke's voice cracked. "I promise I'll give him a chance. I understand how important he is to you."

A tear slid down Natalie's cheek. "He is," she added quietly, "very important."

"How's he doing?" asked Brooke hesitantly.

Natalie wiped away another tear, before taking a deep breath. "He's in the hospital."

"What?" Brooke gasped. "But, I just saw him last night."

"I know. I don't think he was feeling very well for a few days. But, last night, he woke up and fainted," whispered Natalie.

"Oh my god," said Brooke. "He's all right, though?"

Natalie sniffed, staring at her desk. "Yeah, they just want to watch him for a few days." She paused. "I haven't seen him since yesterday, though."

"Why?" Brooke asked.

"I was kicked out,'" she stated.

"Kicked out?" repeated Brooke. "Really? From the hospital?"

Natalie nodded. "Yeah, well, you see, Keith asked me to do something."

"What was that?"

Natalie glanced back down at her lap as a tear fell down her cheek and dripped onto her jeans. Natalie watched the spot the tear had made darken before it faded away almost as quickly as it had fallen.

Finally Natalie spoke. "He asked me to—to try and move on once he's gone and I—I pretty much lost it." She placed the palm of her hand to cover her eyes. "I don't even want to think about moving on without him. I think it just took me out of surprise and I got hysterical. He's probably really mad."

Brooke walked closer to Natalie. "I'm sure he understands," she said.

Natalie dropped her hand covering her eyes, tears rolling uncontrollably down her cheeks. "I don't know. I mean, he was crying, and I just left him."

"It's okay. He'll understand," said Brooke, trying to comfort Natalie.

But, Natalie couldn't stop crying. Brooke suddenly knelt down and hugged Natalie. "You really love him, don't you?" she stated.

_Love?_ Thought Natalie, _This is more than _love_._

_

* * *

_

Natalie hesitantly walked into the kitchen where her mom and dad were currently making lunch.

"Hey," said Natalie quietly, not sure how they would react. She wouldn't be surprised if they started yelling, she had been worrying them for quite some time. However, Natalie was shocked when her mom turned around with a small smile on her face.

Caroline motioned for Natalie to sit down at the kitchen table, where her dad had just sat down. "You and Brooke talked?" she asked, washing her hands before sitting across from Natalie.

Natalie nodded. "Yeah, we talked and I think we've figured everything out. So, you wanted to talk?

Caroline gave Natalie a small smile. "Yeah, your father and I first want to apologize for the conclusions we came to about Keith right away and trying to get you to not see him."

"Thanks, but really, it's mostly my fault. I mean, I wasn't telling anyone what was going on. I should've just talked to you guys, told you what was going on," acknowledged Natalie, "but I didn't."

Caroline grabbed Natalie's hand. "Sweetie, why didn't you? Why did you keep this from us? We want you to talk to us."

Tears filled Natalie's eyes. "It's going to sound really stupid. It did to me even when I knew I was doing it, but I still did it. For some reason, I thought if no one knew about Keith that when he," she paused to take a deep breath, "when he died, that I would be able to move on. I'd be able to move on because if no one knew about him, no one could bring him up in conversation."

Caroline frowned. "Sweetie, you may think that not talking about someone, or thinking about someone will allow yourself to move on, but if you're in love with him, not talking about him is going to make it worse. Talking about him will help you move on; it's the only thing that will help you move on. To think about the happy times you guys had."

Natalie pulled her hand away to wipe away her tears. "I know," she whispered. "I just, I really don't want to talk about that right now. Okay?"

Pete spoke up. "We understand, Natalie. What you're going through, what you will go through. It won't be easy, but we're here for you. Please from now on, come talk to us."

Natalie smiled through her tears. "I will, I promise."

"I'm sure he's a great boy," said Caroline, getting up to fix all three of them some tea.

"He is," smiled Natalie, "he's amazing."

* * *

A few hours later, Natalie's parents had driven her to the hospital. She had argued at first, stating that she was able to drive herself. But, they had refused; they didn't know how she was going to react upon seeing Keith and wanted to make sure she was okay. She made sure her parents stayed outside of Keith's room, since she wanted to apologize to him, and talk to him alone for a while before she introduced her parents to him.

That was if Keith would allow it.

Quietly, Natalie opened the door to Keith's room. Her eyes immediately trailed to him. He was on his side, asleep.

"I was wondering when you'd get here," a soft voice spoke.

Natalie averted her eyes towards the voice of Keith's father. "Hi," she whispered.

He smiled, and motioned for her to sit down in the chair next to him. "Glad you came, Keith was hoping you would."

Natalie sat down. "Really?" she asked as she looked up to Mr. Zetterstrom for confirmation, he nodded at her astonishment.

"Yeah, he's worried about you," he stated before glancing at his son, then back to Natalie.

"Me?" she asked aghast. _He shouldn't be worried about me, I'm not the sick one_, she thought sullenly.

"Yeah, I heard about yesterday. He's really sorry, he feels really bad."

She stared at Keith's sleeping form for a minute before answering. "He shouldn't be the one who's sorry, it should be me. I didn't—I shouldn't have acted that way, I think I really upset him. He took me off guard, though."

Mr. Zetterstrom nodded. They were both quiet for a while before Natalie spoke. "Did the doctor tell Keith something yesterday? Something that I should know?" she asked, voice cracking. "Because when I was finally allowed to see him, the reason I freaked out was because he started talking about me moving on once he's gone. It was just so sudden," trailed off Natalie.

"He did," interrupted Henry. "I'm sorry he didn't tell you."

Natalie watched as Keith turned over onto his back, and sighed, but didn't wake up. "He's been sleeping all day?" she asked suddenly. Mr. Zetterstrom nodded as he stood up and adjusted the sheet on Keith which had fallen off him when he had moved. "So," Natalie started slowly, "what exactly did Dr. Normandy say?"

Mr. Zetterstrom sighed. "You know he's not doing well, right?" he asked her as he gave Keith one last glance before staring at Natalie. She nodded regretfully. "Well, I'm not going to beat around the bush. They don't think he has more than a few weeks. He's getting progressively worse every day."

_Weeks._

The word caused a chill to run down her spine. It was too soon, she wasn't ready. "_Weeks_," she repeated, the word felt foreign as it came out of her mouth, almost illegal. "But," she gasped out, "I'm not—"

"—ready?" Mr. Zetterstrom supplied.

"Yeah."

"Neither am I." He glanced over at Keith and Natalie saw a tear fall down his cheek.

Natalie shook her head in disbelief. "It's just too fast, too fast," she whispered.

Suddenly, Henry stood up. "I'm going to go get some coffee," he mumbled before quickly walking out of the room. Natalie felt guilt fill her stomach. She hoped she hadn't asked too many questions, she hadn't meant to upset him. She couldn't imagine the grief that Henry was going through right now. It was probably much worse that what she was feeling.

And if that was the case, she couldn't image the pain he was in.

Natalie didn't know how long she sat there, watching Keith sleep. "Partner?" a quiet voice spoke. She must have been deep in thought, and hadn't realized Keith wake up. He had turned on his side to face her. His face was flushed and he looked surprised, but happy to see her. "You came," he added.

"Of course I did," she whispered, getting up off her chair to stand next to his bed. Grabbing his hand, she intertwined their fingers together, before bending down and kissing him on the lips. She was going to miss his soft lips. She kissed him once more, before breaking apart. "You're cold," she commented, realizing his hands and lips were freezing.

He shrugged. "Yeah," he replied wistfully, before glancing at her, a smirk appeared on his face. "But, I know a way that I could get warmer."

"How?" Natalie asked.

"Lie next to me," he whispered as he pulled his sheet down, so she could get under it with him.

"We'll never fit," she whispered. But still, she climbed in. She wanted to be as close to him as possible. "You're crazy," she added, as they both got comfortable.

He laughed, placing his head back on his pillow. "Me?" he asked. "No way."

Natalie stared at him, before she lifted her hand and began to softly trail her fingers across his cheeks, across his forehead, over his eyes, and down to his chin. "What-what are you doing?" he whispered.

"Memorizing you," she said softly, glancing into his green eyes. Gently, Keith grabbed Natalie's hand to stop her.

"You already know me," he stated softly, "by heart."

Natalie smiled softly, nodding. "Keith," she whispered, "I'm so sorry."

He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "About?"

"Yesterday. It—it was just so sudden," she admitted.

"It's okay," he replied sincerely, bringing his hand up to gently run his fingers through her hair.

Natalie sighed. "But you were upset and I left."

He smiled. "You didn't really have a choice," he joked.

She sniffed. "I made you _cry_."

He swallowed thickly, squeezing his eyes shut before answering "I wasn't crying," he stated.

Natalie let out a tiny sob at his denial. "Yes, you were and I left you, when I should've been here. With you."

"I wasn't crying," he demanded. "Well, not really." He blinked rapidly, preventing tears. "That wasn't really crying. Those were just _tears_," he clarified.

"There isn't a difference," argued Natalie.

"Yes, Natalie, there is." His voice cracked.

"How so?" she asked.

"Because," he began, but had to stop to compose himself. Tears began to fall down his cheeks and onto his pillow, causing tears to fall down Natalie's cheeks as well. "Right now," he choked out, "this, this _is_ crying."

Gently he pulled Natalie, if possible, closer to him. She felt his tears fall onto her cheek, as his chest began to heave with sobs. She wrapped her arms around him and grabbed onto the back of his pajamas as tightly as possible, pulling onto the fabric as if it was possible their bodies could get closer.

"I love you," he breathed in between tears.

Natalie sobbed. "I love you, too," she cried, their tears blending together.

_Yes, Keith was right,_ Natalie thought. _This was _crying.

* * *

_Please review! Hope you enjoyed it! _


	8. This Moment

**A/N: **_Thanks to everyone who has reviewed! Just a warning, there is a scene of sexual nature in this chapter._

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* * *

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**Chapter Eight: This Moment**

Keith had been in the hospital for three days. And finally, today was the day that he was able to leave and go home.

It was early in the morning, and Natalie walked through the halls of the hospital, quickly. She hadn't seen Keith since last night, and was already missing the warm feeling his presence gave her. She was extremely excited that he was getting out today; she wanted to spend his last few days to the fullest, and wanted to get him out the hospital so they could go do just that. She was still incredibly sad, but she tried her hardest to be happy for Keith.

Placing her hand on the doorknob, she opened the door to Keith's room. When he heard her come in, he turned to look at her, a huge grin on his face. "Hey, there," she smiled. "Are you excited to leave?" she asked. He had already changed out of his hospital gown and into his clothes.

He nodded frantically. "I can't wait to get out of here," he said.

Natalie gave him a kiss before sitting down in the chair next to his bed. "What do you wanna do today?" she asked. "Any ideas?"

Keith looked thoughtful for a moment before answering. "Maybe...Ice cream?"

Natalie rolled her eyes. "You really love ice cream, don't you?"

Keith's eyes shined. "Yup, I love it," he smiled. "A lot," he added.

"Not more than me, though, right?" joked Natalie.

"Hmm..." smiled Keith, "that I'll have to think of. That's a hard one."

"Keith," reprimanded Natalie, gently hitting him on the arm.

He looked thoughtful. "Okay, okay. If you're really going to make me choose. I think, I'll choose—"

Keith was silenced by Natalie as she placed her lips against his, preventing him from answering. They kissed for a few minutes, and when they broke apart a few seconds later, Keith swallowed thickly and had to compose himself before speaking. "Mmmm..." he nodded, looking into Natalie's eyes, "definitely you."

"Good answer," laughed Natalie. "So, can't we leave? Let's go get your ice cream," she smiled.

"I'm waiting for Dr. Normandy and my dad to get back," he said. "Dr. Normandy wanted to talk to my dad alone." He rolled his eyes. "They've been gone forever."

"Your dad's here?" wondered Natalie. "Didn't you say he was leaving early for work?"

Keith nodded. "Yeah, but Dr. Normandy had to talk to my dad about something urgent."

Natalie looked concerned. "What about?"

Keith shrugged, picking at a loose string on the end of his t-shirt. "No idea. They should be back soon, though, since my dad can't be too late to work," he stated.

They both made small chat for a few minutes before Dr. Normandy and Henry walked into the room. When Natalie got a good look at Henry, she felt her heart skip a beat. His eyes were red and puffy and it was obvious he had been crying.

"What's up dad?" asked Keith, concerned. "Why are you upset?" he wondered, noticing his dad's red eyes as well.

"I'm not upset, Keith," he smiled.

Keith narrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Dad, generally when one cries, they're upset," he stated.

"Keith, these," he smiled again, breathing deeply, "these are happy tears."

"Happy tears?" repeated Keith. Natalie gave Henry a strange look. "What do you mean?" asked Keith.

Henry walked over to Keith. "I've just spoken to Dr. Normandy," he stated, nodding in Dr. Normandy's direction, "and someone, who has decided to remain anonymous, has decided to pay your medical bills."

Natalie felt her heart soar with joy. "His medical bills," she gasped out, a smile forming on her face. Henry nodded at her, about to speak some more but Keith spoke up.

"Why now? I'm going to be gone soon enough, right? What's the point?" Keith stated, voice tight. Keith jumped out of his bed, before making his way to the exit. "Can't I just go?" he whispered. "And forget about it? About _this._ I just don't want to be here, anymore, okay? This is stupid."

Henry grabbed Keith's wrist gently, preventing him from leaving. "Keith, you've misunderstood me."

Keith blinked. "What do you mean?"

"They've decided to pay for more treatment, Keith."

Natalie felt tears, happy ones, build behind her eyes. "Oh my god," she whispered, covering her mouth with her hand in shock.

"Treatment?" whispered Keith, looking a bit confused.

Henry gave Keith a watery smile. "Don't you get it, Keith? You're getting chemo." When Henry's words finally registered to Keith, he stumbled back, hitting his hospital bed, speechless.

Natalie jumped up, tears sliding down her cheeks in happiness. She hugged a still shocked Keith tightly. "You've gotten a miracle," she whispered into his ear, before kissing him on the forehead.

* * *

Ever since the news this morning, Natalie felt as if she was living a dream. But, she wasn't.

She was _living_ reality.

It was discussed that Keith was going to start chemo immediately. So, tomorrow morning, Keith was going to begin his first treatment. He hadn't asked Natalie to come, though she wished he would have. But, she understood that it was really personal to him, and she hoped that at one point he would allow her to come.

After dinner she and Keith had finally gone and got ice cream. Keith had gotten a huge bowl of chocolate ice cream with sprinkles, whip cream, and fudge, while Natalie had gotten a small bowl of vanilla ice cream with sprinkles. Honestly, Natalie still wasn't sure how Keith had been able to eat all of his ice cream. She had asked him this, but he had just rolled his eyes, a huge grin on his face, telling her that it hadn't been much.

After ice cream they had decided to come to their spot to talk. A full moon was out, and the sky was clear so many stars were visible. Both, Natalie and Keith were on their backs and Keith was currently showing Natalie different star formations.

"That is the Milky Way," he stated, pointing to certain location in the sky.

"It's so pretty," she sighed, her head resting on Keith's chest. "How do you know all these star formations? We didn't have an Astronomy class in high school."

Keith brought his arm down to his side. "Well, once I found this spot, I noticed how well you could see the stars. So, I kind of taught myself the different star constellations and stuff."

"That's so cool," smiled Natalie. "You'll have to teach me more sometime."

Keith wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her. "Definitely."

"So, are you nervous about tomorrow?" wondered Natalie, gently running her fingers down his arm.

"Why would I be? I've done this before," stated Keith.

"I know. I'm just kind of nervous, and I don't know why," she confessed.

"Why are you nervous?" wondered Keith.

Natalie thought for a minute. "I don't know. Maybe, just because, what if it doesn't work? The chemo, I mean. After all of this, I could still lose you."

He squeezed her tighter. "Everything is going to be fine. You'll beat yourself up if you worry about it not working, trust me. Dr. Normandy is pretty certain that this will work."

"But—"

"Shhh," he soothed. "Just don't worry, okay?" he said softly.

"I won't," said Natalie, continuing to run her fingers down Keith's arm.

"Promise?"

She nodded. "What's it like?"

"Chemo?" he stated. "Well, I mean, they said they'll be giving me it through an IV, which isn't really painful. I'll probably have to take some type of oral medication, too."

"No, I mean, what are the symptoms?"

"Oh, those," his voice filled with dread. "They, well, pretty much suck. I could lose my hair, I didn't before, though. Some people don't. You're tired a lot—very tired—sometimes you don't even want to get out of bed. You're just nauseous a lot and sometimes you just _hurt_."

"Hurt?" she repeated.

"Yeah, your whole body will ache," said Keith.

"Are your symptoms bad?" Natalie asked as she moved his arm off of her so she could move to face him.

He looked thoughtful for a moment. "I don't know. They can vary with every treatment. Last time I just felt nauseous a lot and was just so exhausted. But, the symptoms could change this time around."

Natalie trailed her hands through his soft hair. "I'm sorry," she sympathized. A gust of wind blew, giving Natalie goose bumps.

Keith ran his hand down her arms to warm her up. "Don't be, partner. I'll deal with it."

"And I'll be there—with you—the whole time," she commented back. She saw a flicker of something cross Keith's eyes, and in that moment Natalie knew he was about to tell her that he would deal with it himself, but something in his demeanor changed.

He smiled. "Thanks. As long as you're with me I have nothing to be worried about, right?" he whispered.

Natalie nodded, and then Keith sat half-way up and gently placed his lips against hers. This time, though, it was different. Their kisses—they were slow. Both Keith and Natalie, they took their time; Natalie kissed Keith back, melting into his touch.

He rolled on top of her, and she nodded her head at his questioning look. He kissed her on the lips again, moving her hair away from her face, while staring into her eyes. He grabbed the extra blanket that was in the truck and placed it over them—their lips not parting, never parting.

Natalie wanted it to last forever, this moment. She didn't want it to go away; she was certain that if she could, she would freeze it, forever. They were moving as one, and it was as if they _were_ _one_, she was part of him and he part of her. This was their moment, she wanted nothing else, didn't need anything else.

She wrapped her arms around his back as if it would bring him closer to her. Their bare skin touched, and they were as close as they ever could be, ever would be. Natalie didn't want this to end. But, a few seconds later, Natalie noticed something was wrong. That it wasn't just them that were moving. The earth was moving with them. Suddenly, realization struck her. "The truck is moving," she panted, gripping Keith tighter.

Her comment didn't faze Keith and they kept moving. "Keith," she said, her voice coming out in short breaths. He bent down and silenced her with a kiss.

"Shhh…" he whispered voice tight. He stared into her eyes, and she stared back, pulling him closer. She smiled against his lips.

This moment, their moment, it was perfect.

They began to slow down, and suddenly Keith's body tensed and a moment later, his head fell on her shoulder, his breath coming in fast gasps.

"I love you," he whispered, his breath warm against her neck. "Times infinity."

Natalie was still holding onto Keith, their chests rising and falling together. "Times infinity," she repeated.

The truck continued to inch closer and closer to the edge of the cliff, but neither of them moved. They just stayed there savoring this moment forever and infinity.

* * *

Natalie zipped up her sweatshirt after a gust of wind blew, blowing her hair in all directions as she made her way up to her house. She glanced up at the sky and noted the clouds that were rolling in, before she opened the front door to her house.

"Mom, I'm home," Natalie called, as she placed her tennis racquet in the hall closet. "It looks like a storm's coming," she commented, walking into the kitchen.

Her mom stopped chopping vegetables as Natalie walked in. "Yeah, we're suppose to get a big rain storm. How was tennis," she asked, wiping her hands on a dishtowel.

Natalie grabbed a carrot and popped it into her mouth. "Not bad. It was nice to get back to it after a while. What's for dinner?"

"Pot roast."

Natalie swallowed. "Sounds good…Are we having someone over?" she asked, noticing an extra plate at the table.

"Yeah." Her mom opened the oven to check on the pot roast.

"Oh? Who?"

"He didn't call?" Caroline asked, closing the oven. The smell wafted through the small kitchen, making Natalie's stomach grumble.

"Who?"

"Keith."

Natalie grabbed her cell phone from her pocket, but there were no missed calls. "No, he was suppose to after his treatment, but he hasn't yet," she started. "I figured he'd call after he took a nap. Is something wrong?"

Caroline shook her head, carrying dishes and silverware over to the table. "Henry called. He has to work the night shift tonight and asked if we'd watch him, doesn't want Keith to be by himself." Natalie smiled inwardly; she was glad that her parents and Keith's dad's got along.

"Oh," Natalie responded, surprised. "I wonder why Keith never called me."

Caroline placed the carrots and tomatoes that she had cut up into the salad bowl. "He probably doesn't want to make a big deal out of everything." Her mom glanced at the clock on the stove. "You should change, though. I suspect he'll be here soon."

"Okay," said Natalie, walking out of the kitchen and into her room.

She finished changing just as she heard the doorbell ring. Walking out of her room, she quickly finished placing her hair in a ponytail. Her mom had made it to the door already, and was letting Keith in.

He looked hesitant as he walked in, carrying a small bag. His eyes brightened once he caught sight of Natalie. "Hey," she smiled, glancing at Keith. She made her way over to him, pulling him close to her and kissing him on the lips. "How are you?" she asked.

"Fine," he smiled, kissing her again. She gave him look and he added. "Just tired."

"Dinner will be soon, Natalie. You should show Keith to the guest room where he'll be staying," said her mom as she walked back into the kitchen.

Natalie smiled, taking Keith's hand and leading him up the stairs to his room. She grabbed his bag from him and placed it on the dresser that was in the room.

Keith stood in the entrance of the room, his eyes trailing around. "Nice, I like the flowers," he commented. There were different flowers patterns everywhere. The comforter had roses on it; the blankets were covered with lilac designs, while the wallpaper had a combination different variety of flowers. Everything clashed horribly, making it almost hard to look at for too long.

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Let's just say my mom tried her talent at decorating and it really didn't work out too well."

"I can see that," he whispered.

Natalie narrowed her eyes at him, a small grin forming on her face. "What was that?"

He walked over to the bed and sat down. "Nothing," he replied innocently.

"I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear that." She sat down next to him. He took off his black hoodie and placed it on the bed.

"You know," he began as Natalie moved to sit on his lap; he wrapped his arms around her. "I'm beginning to think that I'm not going to get my jacket back."

Natalie looked at him, her face serious. "What jacket?"

"You're so silly." He hugged her closer. "Now, I have to wear my old, black hoodie. It's not working for me," he joked.

"I'm so sorry," she laughed, as she kissed him on the lips again. She would kiss him all day long if she could. "But, you know you love the jacket on me," she declared.

"Oh, so you admit that you have it?"

"No, I'm just saying." She stuck her tongue out at him.

Keith laughed. "Well, I'm not going to lie; my jacket does look good on you." He watched as Natalie grabbed his hoodie from behind him and put it on, making some of her hair fall out of her ponytail.

"Oh, no," chuckled Keith. "Not my hoodie, too. I'm going to freeze."

She smiled mischievously. "Well, if you behave I may let you have it back."

"I guess I'll never get it back, then." She lightly hit his shoulder, and he fell onto his back on the bed. "Come here," he whispered.

She lay down next to him, head resting on his chest. "I was worried," she whispered, suddenly.

He began running his fingers through her hair, and Natalie didn't want him to ever stop. "About?" he asked.

"Today," she whispered.

"Everything went fine."

Natalie sighed. "You never called me," she replied, a tinge of hurt laced in her voice, which he noticed.

She sat up on one elbow so she could meet his gaze. "I'm sorry," he said. "I was going to but I fell asleep. Then, I found out I was coming here. Parents conspiring against us—or at least me—so I thought I was going to see you anyway, so there was no reason to call."

"Just call next time, okay?"

"Promise," he said, pulling her close to him. In the corner of her eye she saw something on his arm that made her heart stop. She sat all the way up, pulling him up with her.

"What's that?" she asked, pointing to his arm.

He glanced down at his arm. "Where my IV was," he stated.

She frowned. "Does it hurt?"

"Not really," he shrugged. "I mean kind of. The needle is bigger than normal. So, it's a little sore," he added.

"Poor thing."

He blushed. "You know, I think a kiss might make it better," he stared into her eyes.

"You're so smooth," she joked, kissing him on the lips.

"I try," he smirked.

She kissed him once more, before taking his hoodie off, and fixing her hair. "We should probably head down," she stated. She got up off the bed, waiting for him to follow her.

When he didn't, Natalie turned around. "Aren't you coming?" His eyes were averted to the floor. "What's wrong?" she asked, sensing his mood change. "Keith?"

He glanced up, licking his lips."It's just—" he started, but then stood up, shaking in head in the process. "Never mind." She walked over to him.

Gently she grabbed her hand in his. "No, tell me. What is it?" she asked softly.

He glanced at the door. "I just feel bad," he whispered.

"Oh, Keith. If you want, you can sleep. My mom—"

He shook his head vigorously. "No, about me being here. I feel…I don't know like I'm intruding. They don't even know me. I only met them once at the hospital."

"Don't worry, they don't care. Plus, I'm sure they'll love you."

He was quiet for a minute, as if he was debating with himself. "Well, if you're sure," he stated.

She nodded, smiling. "Positive, now quit stalling and come on."

* * *

As soon as Keith and Natalie walked into the kitchen, Cynthia, Natalie's younger sister, took an immediate liking towards Keith.

"Keith," started Cynthia, "sit by me, please," she asked, pointing to the empty chair next to her.

Keith looked a little uncomfortable, but did as he was asked. Natalie sat in the empty seat on his side.

Everyone else sat down, and they began piling food onto their plates. Once Cynthia's plate was full, she took one bite of pot roast, before speaking up again. "I looked outside, and saw your truck. It's so cool, it's yellow. That's yours, right?"

Keith swallowed, glancing at her and smiling "Yup, that's mine."

"It's so cool. Can I go in it sometime?"

Keith chuckled. "Of course." He glanced quickly at Natalie, a smile on his face. She nudged him with her shoulder as if to tell him 'I told you so!'

"Does your truck have a name?" asked Cynthia.

Keith took a bite of salad before answering. "Yes, she does."

"What is it?"

"Honeybun," grinned Keith.

Cynthia giggled. "That's funny," she smiled. "So, are you Natalie's boyfriend?" she wondered, glancing at Keith and Natalie.

"_Cynthia,_" admonished Natalie, narrowing her eyes and glaring at her.

He cleared his throat, his voice coming out nervously. "Yes," he whispered slowly. Natalie smiled at him, and she grabbed his hand under the table and squeezed.

"So, Keith," started her mom, "what are your plans for the next semester?"

Natalie felt Keith tense up at the sudden question. "Oh, um."

"Mom…" Natalie whispered.

Caroline glanced at Natalie. "Natalie, I am just asking him some simple questions."

"Um…I really don't know," said Keith. He glanced around the room, as if trying to come up with the right words to say. "I—I never really thought I'd really have to plan that far…" He glanced down at his plate, not sure what else to say.

"I'm sorry, dear," choked out Caroline, "for bringing it up. I wasn't thinking."

Keith glanced up. "It's fine." He paused for a minute, but then added. "I've never really thought about my future, you know? I just thought about the next day. I guess the future always seemed unattainable somehow. It's strange to think that I could…It's just strange," he mumbled, taking a bite of pot roast, keeping his gaze to his plate.

Everyone at the table turned to stare at Keith after his intimate remark. The family was quiet for a long while. Keith went back to eating, not noticing the stares Natalie's family were giving him, but suddenly Caroline spoke up again, breaking the awkward silence.

"But now," she spoke softly, waiting for Keith to look up at her, "you can think about it, can't you? Your future, I mean. There's so many things out there that you'll be able to do, so many things that you can be."

"Well," Keith nodded, "the sky's the limit, right?" A huge grin grew on his face.

"Yeah," Caroline smiled back, nodding, "it is."

* * *

Natalie walked out of the room Keith was staying in, taking one last glance at his sleeping form, before she closed the door.

When she made her way downstairs her brother and sister had left, but her parents were still sitting on the couch, watching television. Something about their demeanor worried Natalie—something wasn't right.

She walked into the living room, her eyes trailing her parents' faces, trying to see what was on their mind. The room's atmosphere seemed to change from that of the previous warmth and cheer to that of stillness…And something Natalie couldn't place, she shivered involuntary.

"So, Keith seems to like it here," Natalie spoke up, sitting down in a chair next to the couch, the one Keith had fallen asleep in. "Do you guys like him?"

Her mom turned to look at her. "He's a very nice boy, dear."

Natalie smiled, even though it didn't reach her eyes. "So—"

Caroline cut her off. "It's nearing the start of the semester," she commented, who turned to look at her.

Natalie glanced at her dad, who kept his eyes on the television screen, but he didn't seem to be watching it. "Um…Yeah," Natalie replied. "What are you—"

"Are you even going to go to college?" interrupted Pete, who turned his eyes from the television, to now stare at her.

"Of course I'm going to college," replied Natalie sarcastically.

"This semester?" added her dad.

A dead silence filled the room. Natalie opened and closed her mouth, trying to find the right words to convey what she was thinking, what she was feeling.

"You're not going, are you?" Pete whispered. "You got into Duke, Natalie. _Duke_. You're throwing this away, your future" he stated.

Natalie swallowed thickly. "I-I can't," she whispered, glancing at her dad's face nervously. "I-I can't go, I'm sorry."

"Why not?" asked Pete.

Natalie glanced upstairs. "Keith, dad," she replied, her voice timid and quiet.

He was silent for a while, and Natalie held her breath waiting for him to start yelling, but he surprised her and he didn't yell. "I understand why you're not going Natalie, but this is your dream."

Natalie shook her head. "No, dad, it's not. This—Duke, I mean—it's your dream, it always has been. I don't even really want to go to Duke, I never really had," she admitted. It felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders at finally admitting this.

Her dad shook his head in denial. "I don't believe you. You're just saying this."

Natalie sighed. "I'm sorry." And she was, she hadn't intended to hurt him, but it was time she started doing things she wanted to do, and not what her dad wanted her to do. She got up from the chair, giving her parents apologetic looks.

Just has she had her foot on the stairs her dad spoke. "You're going to regret this, Natalie. I know what regret feels like and I don't want you to want. To regret, it's not something I want you to have to live with."

She turned to look at them. "Regret this?" she whispered. "You know what I would regret? Going to college and not spending time with Keith. He's got the chemo, yes, but that doesn't mean he'll survive. To me, not being here if he didn't survive, well, that's something I _would_ regret.

"You can be disappointed in me and I'll understand, really I will. But I will not take the chance and regret not being there for him. _Ever_," she shook her head back and forth. "Because that is regret that I don't think I could ever live with. I just hope you guys can understand that, too." Her parents were silent, and she didn't bother to wait for a response, it was best if she let them sleep on what she had said. Give them time to process her words.

Before going into her room, Natalie made her way quietly into Keith's. Natalie pulled the covers down on the side of the bed he wasn't sleeping on, making room for herself. Once in, she pulled the covers over herself, rolling onto her side, facing Keith, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest as he slept.

Natalie didn't know how long she lied there, watching him sleep. It could have been minutes, it could have been hours. Time didn't register in her mind. When her own eyes began to droop, she regretfully got up. Right before she closed the door to his room, she glanced once more at him and knew.

She didn't regret her decision at all.

* * *

_Please review._

_**A/N:**__ Just to let you guys know, I've started my summer classes so updates will probably be happening later in the week (most likely, Sundays) since I won't have much time to edit my chapters during the week._

_Thanks for reading._


	9. The Simple Things

**A/N: **_Thanks to everyone for the reviews!_

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**Chapter Nine: The Simple Things**

The next morning, Natalie woke up late. She grabbed her robe that was hanging off her desk chair, and put it on, before making her way into her bathroom. She put her hair in a ponytail, before splashing some water on her face. After she finished freshening up, she left her room, intent on going to the kitchen to find something for breakfast.

But as soon as she walked out of her room, Cynthia opened the door of her's. She glanced at Keith's closed door, before glancing to Natalie.

"Is he up yet?" she asked.

Natalie laughed quietly. "Most likely, no."

Cynthia sighed audibly. "Can I wake him up?" pressed Cynthia, taking a daring step towards Keith's room.

Natalie thought for a second. "Maybe we should let him sleep," she voiced.

Cynthia shook her head back and forth, frowning. "But," she whined. "I want to make pancakes and he needs to help. He can take a nap later," she added.

"All right, fine," said Natalie. Cynthia smiled widely before running into Keith's room, not bothering to knock.

When Natalie heard a high pitched scream, she berated herself for not telling Cynthia to at least wake him up nicely. She knew from experience that nicely wasn't how Cynthia woke people up. She walked into the room, and Keith was sitting straight up in bed. His hair was wild standing up in many directions.

"What's going on?" he mumbled.

Cynthia bounced onto the bed. "Time to get up," she demanded.

Keith's previous shock and confusion didn't last long, because he laid back down, and pulled the comforter over his head.

"Keith," whined Cynthia, trying to pull the comforter back down, but he had a pretty strong grip on it, and she couldn't get it to budge. "Get up," she said, shaking him.

"Too early," he mumbled from underneath the comforter.

"We're going to make pancakes," said Cynthia, still trying to pull the comforter down. "So, you have to get up."

Finally realizing that her attempts of pulling the comforter off of Keith weren't working, she jumped off the bed and grabbed the bottom of the comforter and pulled. At this, she succeeded, and Keith let out an irritated moan, Cynthia looked quite pleased with herself.

She ran over to the side of the bed. "Come on, Keith. Get up, pancakes," she said, pulling on his shirt, but he didn't budge. "You need to make me Mickey Mouse ones. Can you do those? 'Cause Natalie's really bad at it."

Natalie huffed loudly, sitting on the bed; she glanced down at Keith's face. His eyes were closed, and at first she was shocked that he could be sleeping through Cynthia's attempts at waking him up. But a few seconds later, he opened his eyes.

"Do you ever get use to this?" he whispered.

Natalie shook her head. "No, not really," she whispered back, before bending down and kissing him on the lips.

At the sight of them kissing, Cynthia stopped pulling on Keith's shirt, and let out a high pitched scream. "Eww. That's just gross. Stop it. That's so disgusting" she screamed, while running out of the room.

"Well," Keith smirked, "at least we know how to get her to leave."

Natalie smiled. "Sorry about that, I kind of forgot about her rude wake up calls."

Keith sat up, straightening out his shirt. "It's cool," he smiled. "But, my heart is still racing."

"Poor thing," said Natalie. "You feeling okay today?" she asked.

Keith looked thoughtful. "Actually, I feel great," he smiled at this sudden revelation.

"That's great," smiled Natalie. Keith got out of his bed, and located his sweater.

"Yeah," he nodded. "But, sometimes the symptoms don't come for a few days after, you know, after a treatment I mean." He found his hoodie and pulled it over his head.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Maybe it has to do with going through the blood system or something," he mused.

"That makes sense, I guess," agreed Natalie. "So, are you ready for some pancakes?"

Keith smiled. "Definitely."

* * *

Natalie decided that she wanted to attempt to try and make Cynthia her Mickey Mouse pancakes, but she wasn't having much luck. Every pancake she had tried came out to be a blob, she couldn't seem to get the ears right, and if she did, when she went to flip it, the pancake broke.

"Oops," she said. "I messed this one up, too," she sighed, looking at her sad attempt of Mickey Mouse. Keith came up behind her, glancing over her shoulder. At the sight of the pancake he started laughing. Natalie turned around, crossing her arms over her chest, glaring at him.

"Are you laughing at my pancake?" she asked.

Keith was laughing so hard he was gripping his sides. "No," he laughed. "I wasn't," he stopped to take a breath and calm himself. "I wasn't laughing at your pancake," he stated, trying to attempt to look serious. "I was laughing at…"

"Me?" huffed Natalie.

He gave her an innocent look. "Maybe…"

She glared at him, swatting him with the spatula before, turning back around to check to see if the pancake was ready to be flipped. He stood next to her, and at the sight of the pancake again, he started laughing.

"Okay," he admitted, pointing to her pancake. "I was laughing at your pancake. I mean, that's supposed to be Mickey!" Natalie went to hit him with the spatula, but this time he dodged it.

"Cynthia," Keith called, "your sister is trying to hurt me." At Keith's call, Cynthia came running into the kitchen, glaring at Natalie.

"What are you doing?" Cynthia exclaimed to Natalie.

Natalie rolled her eyes. "I'm trying to make Mickey Mouse pancakes, but Keith," she turned to glare at him, "keeps laughing at my attempts."

Cynthia went to look at the now burnt pancake. "Well, I can see why he was laughing. That doesn't look like Mickey at all," Cynthia laughed.

Natalie sighed. "I give up," she said defeated. "Keith, you try," she demanded handing him the spatula.

He took the spatula from her hesitantly. "What?" he said, looking unsure. "I'm not sure. I don't really cook. Ever."

Natalie shrugged. "Nothing could be worse than my attempts. Just think of today as the day you learn to make pancakes," she smiled. "Mickey Mouse pancakes."

He nodded slowly. "Okay, I'll try. Wait, where are you going?" he asked, watching Natalie leave the kitchen.

Natalie turned around. "To watch cartoons with Cynthia. I want to be surprised to see what a great chef you are," she winked. He glanced at the bowl of pancake mix, before scooping up a ladle full of the mix and placing it on the pan. He glanced back at her, a determined glint in his eye.

"Be prepared to be amazed," he smiled, eyes shining.

And amazed they were. When Keith had called them both, telling them breakfast was ready, Natalie had been expecting to see pancakes like the ones she had made, but they weren't. They were good. They looked just like Cynthia wanted them to.

Like Mickey Mouse.

Keith had also added chocolate chips to for eyes and mouth. Cynthia was so excited, that she couldn't stop grinning. She sat down at the table in a daze, staring at her Mickey Mouse pancake. "This is so cool," she smiled. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Keith sat down next to Natalie, taking her hand into his. "It was no trouble," he smiled.

"I don't want to eat it," said Cynthia. "He's too cute."

"You have to eat it," said Keith. "Mickey wouldn't want it any other way."

"You're right," mused Cynthia.

They all ate their Mickey pancakes and more. After a few pancakes, both Cynthia and Natalie were full. Cynthia took a sip of orange juice, while glancing at the remaining pancakes, a strange glint in her eye.

"Keith," Cynthia said, he looked up from his plate.

"Yes?"

"I dare you to eat the rest of those," she pointed to the remaining pile of pancakes.

He grinned. "All of them?"

Cynthia nodded. "Yup, all of them."

Keith looked thoughtful for a moment. "Okay," he nodded in agreement, moving the plate in front of him. He placed butter and syrup on the pancakes, cut them into small pieces, before taking his first bite of many.

Natalie thought he'd be able to eat them all, but after Keith had eaten half of what was on the plate, he began to slow down.

"I'm full," he said, glancing at the remaining pancakes with dread.

"You don't have to eat them all," said Natalie, looking at Keith with concern.

He shook his head, determination etched on his face. "Yes, I do. It was, it is," he clarified, "a dare." He took another bite.

Natalie glanced at Cynthia who looked like she was about to start laughing. He took a few more bites, slowly. And a few minutes later, he only had one more bite left. "I feel like I'm going to throw up," he said, staring at his last forkful of pancakes with dread.

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Then why are you going to eat it?"

Keith rolled his eyes back at her, before glancing at Cynthia, smiling. "Last bite," he indicated before popping the last forkful of pancakes it into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed. "Ugh, I'm never doing that again. I don't think I want pancakes for a while." He placed his head on the table. "I don't think I can move," he mumbled.

"You're funny," laughed Cynthia. "Are you okay?" she added a few seconds later.

Keith groaned. "He's fine," spoke Natalie for him. "He's just being a big baby," she laughed.

Keith glanced up and glared at Natalie before returning to his previous position.

"Can we go to the park?" perked up Cynthia.

"Sure,' said Natalie. "How about you help me clean up, then we can go," said Natalie.

"Keith," said Cynthia. "Can we take your truck?"

"If I can move," he said, his voice muffled.

"Cool," smiled Cynthia, grabbing her and Keith's plate and taking them into the kitchen.

Natalie grabbed the rest of the dishes off the table, when she went to go walk into the kitchen she noticed her mom watching them from the doorway, smiling in approval. Natalie wondered how long she had been there.

* * *

An hour later, once Keith could move, they all changed out of their pajamas and into some other clothes. Cynthia couldn't stop talking about riding in Keith's truck.

"This is such a cool truck. I think I want one like this when I can drive," stated Cynthia.

"Which is not for a while, thank God," added Natalie. This statement caused her to get a death glare from Cynthia.

"When did you get this truck, Keith?" wondered Cynthia, gaining Natalie's attention. This wasn't something Natalie had ever thought to ask, and she was curious to find out.

"For my sixteenth birthday. It was the best present ever," he exclaimed, eyes shining. He merged off of the highway and followed signs towards the park.

"Who gave it to you?" asked Cynthia, turning on the radio and looking for a station.

Keith was silent and cleared his throat before speaking. "Um, my mom, actually."

Cynthia smiled. "Really? That's cool. Where is your mom, though?" Keith kept his gaze straight ahead, as he took a sharp right turn and the park appeared. He turned into the closet parking lot.

"Keith?" she pressed.

He parked his truck and looked over at her. "She died, actually," he said quickly, then turned to look out his window.

Cynthia's face turned from a smile to an immediate frown. "Oh, I'm really sorry. I had no idea—"

He turned to look at her. "Hey, it's fine. You didn't know. Anyways, it was two years ago. I should be, I mean, I _am_ over it."

Cynthia frowned even more. "You don't have to be over it, you know."

He sighed. "Well, I am, okay?" he stated a little too harshly, causing Cynthia to back up against her seat. At this reaction, Keith looked downright upset with himself. "I'm sorry for yelling. I just—_shit_." He opened his car door, and got out. Natalie and Cynthia watched him walk over to the swings.

Cynthia looked over at Natalie, with tears in her eyes. "I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to make him upset. I had no idea."

"Hey," started Natalie soothingly, "don't worry about it."

Cynthia sniffed. "Are you sure?"

Natalie nodded. "Keith really likes you. He didn't mean to yell. He just misses his mom a lot and it's hard for him to talk about it."

Cynthia nodded. "I understand. Should we go talk to him?"

"Yes, we should. Come on, let's go. How about you teach him that cool trick on the swing where you jump off?"

"Okay," Cynthia nodded, a smile reaching her eyes. "He'll like that."

They walked over to Keith, who was swinging but kept his gaze focused on the ground as they walked up to him.

"Keith?" said Cynthia quietly.

He slowly looked up and Natalie wished she could take the guilt and pain away that radiated in his eyes. "Yeah?"

"Can I show you a cool trick?" asked Cynthia hesitantly.

He smiled. The pain and guilt diminishing quickly from his eyes. "Sure, what do you want to show me?"

Cynthia sat in the swing next to him. "You start to swing really high and then you jump off. It's really fun," she said before starting to show him the trick.

For a few minutes, Natalie watched Cynthia show Keith the trick before she walked over and sat down on a bench. Keith took to the trick right away, and Natalie had to hold her breath when Keith jumped off the swing from a ridiculously high point. He landed in the sand, and got up, laughing, the height and fall had not even fazing him.

After many jumps later, Keith came over to sit next to Natalie, while Cynthia went to play on the slide and monkey bars.

"Hey, there," he said, leaning up to her and kissing her on the side of her neck, making goosebumps to appear on Natalie's arms.

"Hey," she smiled. "Having fun?"

He nodded, leaning up against the bench. "Yup. I'm sorry, for earlier, yelling at Cynthia like that," he said.

"Hey, don't worry about it. You should talk about it, though, your mom."

Keith shrugged. "I know. When she," he took a deep breath, "died, Dad and I, we didn't talk at all, about her, about anything…really. We should have, but we never did and now it seems strange to bring it up."

Natalie leaned her head on his shoulder. "Well, if you ever want to talk about it, I'm here."

He kissed her on the top of her head. "I know," he whispered. "So, um, I overheard you and your parents last night," he mentioned.

Natalie sat up. "You did? But I checked on you. You were asleep."

"I know," he smiled. "Anyway, Partner, I want to make sure that you're not _not _going to Duke because of just me. You aren't are you?" He looked serious.

"Honestly?" He nodded. "You're a big part of it. But, Duke, it never really interested me. I never really wanted to go. There's actually this State school nearby that has an excellent English program that always looked more exciting to me than Duke, but I just never told my dad," she shrugged.

"You need to go to the school that you want to go to, okay?" He paused. "But, are you _sure_ you don't want to start the State school in the fall? I mean, I know it's nearing the end of July, but I'm sure you could still get in and get registered. Plus, you could still live at home, and we'll still be by each other."

"I've thought about it, really, I have," she answered honestly. "But, I'm just so tired of school. I'd like a break. Plus, I want to be with you while you go through this. Chemo, I mean. I want to be there for you."

Keith licked his lips. "You will be there for me, Partner. Just because you're going to school doesn't mean you won't be there for me. But, I don't want you to completely stop your life because you think you have to take care of me, which you don't have to do. You know that, right?"

She nodded. "I know I don't, but I just would feel so much better if I do. Plus, it's only one year, right? It'd be nice to have a break, anyway. And, I don't think I _have _to take care of you, I _want_ to take care of you."

Keith stared into her eyes. "Well, if you're sure that's what you want. I don't want to be the reason you're not going to—"

She placed her finger on his lips. "Stop, you're not holding me back or anything else, okay? I know I could go, but I really want a break, too, okay? Trust me, this is my decision and I'm really happy about it," she grinned.

He grinned back, bringing his forehead down to touch hers. Natalie stared into his sparking green eyes. "You're my favorite, you know that?" he smirked.

Natalie touched her lips ever so gently against his. "And you're mine," she whispered against his lips.

It was the simple things he did, the simple things he said, that made Natalie fall, if possible, more in love with him.

* * *

They stayed at the park most of the day, and after stopped to grab a late lunch. Natalie was shocked that Keith was even hungry; she couldn't understand how he could just eat so much. They stopped off at The Diner and all ordered hamburgers and shakes. Once they were done, they drove home. It was late when they drove up to Natalie's house, but as soon as they got near, Natalie saw a familiar truck in her driveway.

"Why's my dad here?" Keith asked, looking over to Natalie and Cynthia. They both shrugged.

"No idea," replied Natalie. Keith turned his truck off, and unbuckled his seatbelt. "Were you supposed to call him?" wondered Natalie, unbuckling her seatbelt as well. "Maybe, he was worried when you weren't at home."

Keith shrugged. "I don't know, he's never worried when I haven't come home before." When they walked into the house, Natalie's parents and Keith's dad were sitting around the kitchen table talking.

"Cynthia," said Caroline, "how about you go up to your room?"

"But, mom," she whined, but at her mom's face, she stopped. "All right, fine," she said, walking away sulkily.

The atmosphere of the room worried Natalie, as she sat down at the table. "What's going on?" she asked. Keith sat next to her, and looked to be thinking the same as she.

"Dad?" wondered Keith.

Henry sighed loudly, before picking up the steaming cup of coffee in his hand and taking a sip. After, he finally looked over to Keith. "Keith, I have something to tell you," started Henry solemnly, by the tone in his voice Natalie knew it wasn't going to be good.

Natalie watched as Keith got increasingly worried. "What?"

"I have to help with a construction site in Michigan," he sighed.

"Can't someone else go?" interrupted Keith. "Why you?"

"My boss has personally requested me; he told me if I can't go that he'll have to let me go."

"This is stupid," said Keith, his voice rising. "Who cares? Let him fire you or just quit."

"Keith, the last thing I want to do is leave you but if I quit, I'll lose your health insurance. We need that, you need that."

"Wait," said Natalie. "I thought you said Keith's health insurance has maxed out."

Henry nodded. "I did, but he still has health insurance; having it maxed out just means I had to pay more percentage towards his medical bills."

"Oh," breathed Natalie. "So, the people or person that's paying for Keith's treatment, they're just paying what the insurance won't?"

"Yeah, exactly," Henry cleared his throat, looking at Keith. "So, if I quit or lose my job, you won't have health insurance. I don't know who's paying for it, but I'm almost positive they couldn't pay for all your medical bills without some type of insurance coverage. The amount would be ridiculously high."

"Crap," said Natalie, realizing the position Henry was in.

"This is bullshit," yelled Keith suddenly, sitting up so quickly that his chair crashed to the ground.

"Keith," said Henry warningly. "Don't do this." Henry gently grabbed Keith's wrist to keep him from leaving. "You have to understand the position that I'm in. You need your health insurance."

Keith moved his gaze to the floor. "But, I _need_ you here."

"I know," said Henry softly. "I know you do."

"Well," spoke up Caroline, "we'll be happy to have him."

"Have me? What?" Keith looked up to his dad. "What do you mean?" he added.

"Keith, I've asked the Andersons' if they could watch you while I'm gone," he whispered slowly. He was staring at Keith, waiting for a reaction.

"Why?" spoke Keith rudely.

"I'm not letting you on your own. I don't want to worry the whole time I'm gone," he stated, looking at Keith for approval.

"But, I don't want to stay here," he whispered. "I'll just be in the way," he mumbled.

"You won't be in the way, dear," said Caroline. Keith glanced over to her quickly, before looking back up at Henry.

"I'm sorry," said Henry. "But, there's nothing I can do?"

Keith sighed. "How long?"

"I have no idea, months, at least," said Henry.

"Months?" Keith repeated. Henry regretfully nodded, and at this, Keith tore his wrist out of Henry's grip, before leaving, slamming the door on his way out.

Natalie stood up, intent on following Keith but Henry stopped her. "Leave him. He needs some time to cool down." He turned to Natalie's parents. "I'm really sorry for his behavior," he stated, picking up the fallen chair.

"Hey," said Pete, "we understand. It's fine."

"It means a lot," he smiled, but it looked forced. "And thanks for watching him for me. I don't know how to thank you guys enough."

"He's no trouble," said Pete. "Really."

"Well, I better get going," he said, pointing to the door. "I should go talk to him."

Caroline on Pete said their goodbyes and Natalie walked Henry to the door. "Bye," said Natalie. Once she closed the door behind him, Natalie turned to her parents. "Well, that was unexpected. I hope he's going to be okay."

Her mom gave her a reassuring smile. "He'll be fine, dear," said Caroline.

Natalie nodded, hoping her mom was right. "Thanks for letting him stay here, though. It means a lot. Well, I think I'm going to go take a shower," she said, turning around to walk upstairs to her room.

"Natalie?" her dad called.

She turned around. "Yeah?"

Pete smiled. "We would never be disappointed in you."

* * *

That night Natalie was in her bed reading when Cynthia walked in. "Hey," said Natalie, putting her book on her nightstand.

"Hi," smiled Cynthia, sitting next to Natalie on her bed. "Mom told me that Keith's going to stay here for a while."

"Yes, he is," said Natalie.

Cynthia grinned. "It's going to be so much fun."

"Did mom tell you that Keith might not always feel good?" wondered Natalie.

Cynthia nodded. "Yeah, she said that he was sick and taking medicine that might make him feel bad."

"Right," nodded Natalie.

"And when he doesn't feel well, I'm not going to bother him." Natalie went to speak but Cynthia hurriedly added. "But, I told her that I could help."

"That's nice of you, but it may take him some time to get use to staying here, oaky?"

"What do you mean?" asked Cynthia.

"Well," started Natalie, "he might be uncomfortable around here for awhile."

Cynthia smiled. "Oh, I see. But, I'll show him all my Hannah Montana movies. I can, right?"

Natalie laughed. "I don't think Keith even knows who Hannah Montana is."

"Really?" she asked shocked. Natalie nodded. "No way," exclaimed Cynthia as if this was the worst bit of news she had ever heard.

"You can show him all your CD's, DVD's," smiled Natalie, knowing what torture she was subjecting Keith to.

"That'll be fun," smiled Cynthia. "I had fun today. Can we do that again sometime?"

"I had fun, too," smiled Natalie. "Of course, we can do it again."

"Promise?" asked Cynthia, looking into Natalie's eyes.

Natalie nodded and Cynthia and jumped off the bed. Just as she was about to leave, she turned around to face Natalie. "I like Keith _a lot_ more than Raff," she stated, before running out of Natalie's room.

"Me too," laughed Natalie. "Me too."

* * *

_Hope you enjoyed it. Please review._


	10. Love Like This

**A/N: **_Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, they really mean a lot to me. I can't thank you guys enough!__Just a warning, there is a scene with adult content in the end, so please don't read it if you find it uncomfortable. Thanks!_

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**Chapter Ten: Love Like This**

July was drawing to a close and the warm summer nights were now becoming increasingly chilly. It had been two weeks since Keith had found out about his dad having to leave, and Natalie was glad that he finally seemed to understand the position that his dad had been placed in. Even, if it had taken Henry some serious talks with Keith before he understood exactly why he was leaving. Understanding, of course didn't mean that Keith was any happier about him leaving, but at least now, he accepted it.

Natalie hadn't seen Keith for a few days since Henry wanted to spend as much time with Keith as possible. Even though Natalie knew she would see Keith soon, it still didn't stop her from missing him. They talked on the phone every night, but, sometimes it wasn't enough; she simply missed his presence. She missed the warmth she got when she was around him, the fact that he made her laugh without even trying, and the fact that she could be herself around him.

On the morning of the day that Keith was arriving, Natalie got up early. Keith was planning on coming over right after he dropped his dad off at the airport, which gave Natalie only a few hours to get some errands done.

Last night, after much persisting on Natalie's part, Keith had finally relented and told her a list of foods that he normally ate when he didn't feel well. He had told her he would buy them himself, but she had insisted—she wanted to do this for him. She wanted him to feel as welcome and as comfortable in her house as possible.

She arrived home with just enough time to unload the groceries before Keith was due to arrive. As she was putting away the food that she had bought, her mom walked into the kitchen.

"Hey," smiled Caroline, glancing around at the few bags of food that were on the counter. "Did you go shopping?" she asked, a little shocked.

Natalie nodded. "Yeah, I got some stuff for Keith," she said. "For when he doesn't feel well," she added, placing some fruit in the fridge.

Caroline nodded. "Oh, what kinds of food did you get?"

"Just ice cream, fruit, soup…"

Caroline opened up a cabinet for Natalie to place the few cans of soup she had bought on a shelf. "That was sweet of you," smiled Caroline, glancing at the clock. "When is Keith suppose to get here, again?" she wondered.

Natalie closed the cabinet, glancing at her watch. "He should be here, like now. Why?" She bundled up the empty plastic bags and threw them in the trash.

"Your father was thinking it would be fun to go out to eat tonight. Get to know Keith more. Plus, Zach is actually here and I don't think they've really met," mused Caroline. "You don't think it's a bad idea, do you?"

Natalie shook her head. "No," she smiled. The doorbell rang, and Natalie hurriedly added. "Not at all. It'll be fun. That's him now."

Once Natalie opened the door, and Keith caught sight of Natalie, a huge grin grew on his face. "Finally," said Natalie, hugging him before he could even walk into the house.

He wrapped his free hand around her. "Finally?" he chuckled. "I'm only a few minutes late."

Natalie glanced up at him. "I missed you is all," she smiled. He bent down to kiss her, before she pulled away.

"I missed you too, Partner." He closed the door behind him. He went to place his bag on the floor, but changed his mind. "Where should I put this?" he asked.

"You can just set it down there," she pointed next to the door. "Is that all you packed?" she asked aghast, noticing how small his bag was.

He placed his bag down, glanced at it, before giving Natalie a confused expression. " Yeah. Is that bad?"

She shrugged. "No, but it's so small," she commented.

Keith grinned at her. "I'm a guy, how much stuff do I really need?"

"I guess you're right," admitted Natalie.

"Hey, Keith," said Caroline, walking out of the kitchen. "How are you?"

Keith looked a bit uncomfortable. "I'm fine, thanks. You?" He scratched the back of his neck in nervousness.

Caroline smiled. "I'm doing great, thanks for asking. Are you hungry?" she asked.

Keith nodded. "Yes," he replied slowly, a small smile beginning to appear on his face.

"Great. We're going out to eat. I'm just going to get everyone," she pointed upstairs. "You guys should think of a place you want to eat at, okay? Keith gets to pick."

"I don't know," started Keith, but Natalie interrupted him.

"Sounds good, Mom. We'll just go wait in the living room," said Natalie, dragging Keith with her.

He sat next to her, before turning to look at her. "You don't think they're mad, do you?" he asked seriously.

Natalie narrowed her eyebrows. "Mad, who?"

"Your parents," he stated, as if it was obvious. He lowered his voice. "I said _bullshit _in front of them."

Natalie smirked and rolled her eyes. "Keith, how many times have you apologized in the past two weeks? They weren't even mad in the first place."

"But—"

Natalie placed her finger on his lips, silencing him. "Shhh. They aren't mad, okay."

He smiled against her fingertips. "Okay."

She brought her hand down, and laid on her back, head resting on his lap. "So, what do you feel like eating?"

"Anything," he smirked. "I'm starving."

Natalie stared into his eyes. "I missed you so much," she stated.

Keith bent down and kissed her on the forehead. "I saw you three days ago," he smiled.

"That was so long ago," she laughed.

Keith grinned. "I know, I know." He bent down to kiss her on the lips, but jumped up when he heard a scream. "Cynthia, hi," he smiled.

"Kissing's gross," she commented. "Why do you do it?"

"_Because,_" he replied, as if this answered everything.

Cynthia was silent for a while. "Oh, okay. I get it." She smiled, nodding. "Can I show you some stuff?"

"What stuff?" asked Keith.

"My Hannah Montana stuff," she replied in one excited breath.

Keith glanced down at Natalie, who was trying hard not to laugh. Keith looked back at Cynthia. "Hannah Montana?" he questioned. "What is a Hannah Montana?"

"Excuse me?" she gasped, placing her hands on her hips.

Keith looked at Natalie for help. "Did I say something wrong?"

"'What is a Hannah Montana'?" quoted Cynthia, rolling her eyes. "She is a singer! An amazing singer."

"I've never heard of her," he admitted. Cynthia glared at him, and Keith backed up as far into the couch as he could. "Is that bad?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

Cynthia shook her head. "This is horrible. We have some serious work to do."

"Serious work?" asked Keith. "Like what?"

"I have to show you _everything_. I especially need to show you all her T.V. episodes. Come on; let's go upstairs to my room now," she said, grabbing Keith and trying to pull him up, even though Natalie was still lying on his lap.

"We're going out to eat Cynthia," said Caroline as she walked down the stairs. "You can show Keith your stuff tomorrow."

Cynthia let go of Keith's hand and turned around. "But, Mom," she whined, "he doesn't know who Hannah Montana is."

Caroline laughed, glancing at Keith. "You're in big trouble," she laughed.

"I can tell," said Keith. Both Natalie and Keith stood up.

"So, have you decided where you want to eat?" asked Caroline just as Pete and Zach walked down the stairs.

"Hey, man," said Zach, nodding towards Keith.

"Hey," said Keith nodding to both Zach and Pete.

"So, Keith?" asked Caroline, glancing at him and waiting for an answer.

Keith glanced at Natalie for help, but she shrugged, making sure that he chose a place he wanted to go to. "Um, how about pizza?"

"Yes!" exclaimed Cynthia.

Pete laughed. "I think someone agrees with you."

* * *

They had all decided to go to Fargo's Pizza. It was a huge pizza restaurant, but more fancy than a Pizza Hut or Domino's. Natalie also loved this particular pizza restaurant because if you were lucky, at the top floor there were two seats that had windows where you could look down to the kitchen and watch the chefs cooking.

Cynthia must have been reading Natalie's mind because as soon as they walked into the restaurant she ran up the flight of stairs leading to those particular seats.

"Where is she going?" asked Keith, following behind Natalie.

"To our special seats," smiled Natalie, grabbing Keith's hand and following her parents and brother up the stairs.

"Special seat?" he asked. "What do you mean?"

"You'll see. Patience, my dear," she laughed. They reached the top, and Natalie was excited to see that Cynthia had been able to get their spot.

"Keith," Cynthia called. "Sit here, by me. Then, you can look through this window and watch them make pizzas."

"Really?" asked Keith, childish excitement echoing through his voice as he took the seat next to Cynthia.

She turned around, nodding her head so quickly that her ponytail was bouncing up and down. "Look," pointed Cynthia, backing up in her chair so Keith could lean over and glance through the window.

"Wow," he said, "that's really cool." He watched the chefs for a few minutes before he sat back down in his seat, and Cynthia resumed looking through the window.

"My sister seems to like you more than me," surmised Zach.

Cynthia turned to Zach, sticking out her tongue. "Well, it's true. 'Cause he's nice me to and you aren't!"

Zach looked thoughtful for a minute, before nodding slowly. "That's probably true. But just wait, he's going to get annoyed with you soon enough," he argued.

Cynthia looked incredibly upset and this declaration. "No, he won't," she whispered, shaking her head as if she was in denial. She glanced over at Keith. "Will you?"

"'Course not," smiled Keith.

"Cool!" said Cynthia, happy at his answer. She stuck her tongue at Zach once more before returning to her previous position of looking through the tiny window.

A young waitress came over, dressed in Victorian clothing and took their drink orders. Once she left everyone glanced down at their menus, and they began debating what kinds of pizzas to get. After much arguing, they finally decided to get one extra large pepperoni and one small pineapple and ham pizza for Natalie and her mom to share. Natalie didn't understand why everyone but her mom thought pineapple and ham pizza was gross, she thought it was the best pizza ever made.

"So, Mom, Dad," started Natalie. "I've been thinking."

"Wow," said Zach, "now that's something new."

"Shut up," hissed Natalie, throwing her empty straw wrapper at Zach and hitting him in the eye.

"Yes, dear?" asked Caroline, not seeming at all fazed at their behavior.

Natalie cleared her throat before she spoke. "I was thinking that I'd try and get a job this year? What do you think?"

Caroline smiled. "I think that's a great idea." Natalie glanced over at her dad who smiled in approval. "Where are you thinking of applying?"

"Well, Hooked on Books is actually applying for part-time shifts so I was thinking of going over there. I just have to fill out their application form."

"Hooked on Books, is that the bookstore that you always go to?" asked Pete.

Natalie took a sip of her Coke before answering. "Yeah, it's that really small bookstore, a few miles away. It has a tiny coffee place in it as well," mentioned Natalie. This was why she liked this bookstore more than the big chains. It was small, and simple. She could always go there and read, and drink coffee without getting interrupted; she had always found the place to be really relaxing.

"Books?" spoke up Keith. "Why would _you_ want to work at a book store?" he joked.

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Hey, maybe you should go there sometime. You could learn something."

"Learn something, how?" he asked, grinning.

Natalie giggled. "You could, oh, I dunno, read."

"Read?" said Keith, as if the idea was foreign to him. "No, way," he shook his head. "I'd rather play video games."

"You're hopeless," said Natalie.

"Video games," piped up Zach. "You play?"

Keith nodded. "Oh yeah, man, all the time."

"Sweet, man," grinned Zach. "We should play some when we get home. You down?"

Keith grinned. "Definitely."

Natalie rolled her eyes as Zach and Keith began to go into more detail about their favorite video games—this was talk Natalie could not understand. She was lucky that it wasn't busy tonight, and the pizza came quickly, shutting up Zach and Keith after a few minutes.

As they finished eating, Caroline started conversation with Keith. "So, Keith, you have everything you need at our house, right?"

He nodded. "Yup, I brought over my stuff today."

Caroline smiled. "Great. Now, I want you to feel as welcome and comfortable at our house as possible. So, if you need anything, you just let any of us know, okay?"

Natalie saw a tiny blush rise on Keith face. "Um, yeah, thanks, but I think I have everything I'll need."

"Keith," said Cynthia, poking him in the arm until he looked over at her. "Watch this." She placed her lips on her straw and started making bubbles. After a few seconds, she looked at him. "Isn't it cool?" she asked. "You should try it."

Keith eyes shined, before he imitated Cynthia, blowing bubbles into his drink. "Sometimes," said Natalie, as both of them continued to blow bubbles. "I think you're twelve and not eighteen."

This caused Keith to laugh, causing his bubbles to get really big and explode. Cynthia thought this was hilarious and starting laughing uncontrollably. Keith stopped blowing bubbles, leaning near Natalie. "You still love me though, right?" he whispered, his voice quiet enough for only her to hear.

"Why," laughed Natalie, "I don't know."

The waitress gave them some empty boxes for their remaining pizza, as she dropped of their check. "How much do I owe you?" asked Keith, pulling out his wallet, and glancing at Natalie's parents.

Caroline looked shocked. "Don't be silly. You're not paying."

"Why not?" asked Keith, genuinely confused.

"There's no need," stated Caroline simply. "But, that was sweet of you to offer," she added.

Ten minutes later, once they paid their bill, they were making their way out of the restaurant when Cynthia caught sight of the arcade area, and ran into it. "Dad, Dad," she called. Pete followed her voice, before he found her in front of a machine with stuffed animals in it. "Please, can I do this," she begged.

Pete chuckled, shaking his head. "Honey, every time we come here, we try it. Zach and I have never been able to win. It's a waste of money."

"But," she whined, turning to look at Keith. "Can Keith try?"

Natalie laughed at the excited expression that crossed Keith's face, tightening her grip on his hand. He glanced at Natalie. "You think I can't do it?" he asked, pulling out his wallet from his jeans.

"Keith," said Caroline. "Don't waste your money. Cynthia has plenty of stuffed animals."

He didn't listen to them, and walked over to the machine, placing a five dollar bill in the slot. "Okay," he asked Cynthia. "Which one do you want?"

"That one," she said, pointing to a white stuffed unicorn.

"The unicorn?" asked Keith. Cynthia nodded, excited. Natalie walked up next to Keith, ready to watch him attempt to catch the unicorn with the claw.

Natalie didn't know how he did it, but on the first attempt, the claw grabbed the unicorn, lifted it, and deposited it in the bucket. He had made it look so easy; Natalie couldn't remember how many times her Dad and brother had tried to attempt to win something for Cynthia.

"Oh my god," said Cynthia, grabbing the unicorn from the opening and hugging it to her chest, before giving Keith a quick hug. "Mom, Dad, look," she exclaimed, running over to her parents to show them her unicorn.

"She has you wrapped around her finger, you know that," said Natalie, kissing him on the lips, before grabbing his hand as they followed everyone out to the car.

Keith looked over to her. "Jealous?" he joked.

"Maybe," laughed Natalie. They stopped at the van, waiting for Zach and Cynthia to get in.

While waiting, he leaned close to Natalie, touching his forehead against hers. "Love you," he whispered, before getting into the car.

"Love you, too," whispered Natalie.

How was it possible that she could love him so much? There was no way to describe the love she had for him, felt for him. It was too simple, and too much at the same time.

Maybe, thought Natalie, this was just how love was.

Just like _this_.

If that was the case, Natalie never wanted it to change.

* * *

That night, just before Natalie went to bed, she snuck a peak into Zach's room, where both Keith and he had disappeared once they had gotten home. Smirking, she saw Keith and Zach intensely looking at the television as they played a video game, surrounded by junk food.

She closed Zach's door softly, careful not to make her presence known. Once the door was closed, she leaned against it and sighed. This was how she wanted life to be. Filled with so much love and happiness. If life could stay like this, just like this, she'd be happy.

She didn't need anything else. As long as she had her family and _this_ love surrounding her.

* * *

The next morning when Natalie awoke, she was excited that she could just walk down the hall and see Keith. But, even though she wanted to see him, wanted to lie next to him and just be with him, she decided to let him sleep in. She wasn't sure how long he and Zach had played video games, and wanted him to get as much sleep as possible.

To make time pass before she felt it late enough to wake Keith up, she took a shower, and got ready. By the time she was finished and ready to go down for breakfast it was already ten in the morning.

Late enough to wake Keith up.

When she was on her way to Keith's room, she heard Keith's voice coming from Zach's room. So, not bothering to knock, she opened the door and stepped in.

Natalie stood in the entryway of Zach's room, for a few seconds, shocked. There they were, still playing the Playstation. "Have you guys been sitting around here, playing video games the whole night?" asked Natalie. The shock had worn off so she went to sit on Zach's bed.

Zach paused the game, and both of them turned to look at her. "It's morning?" asked Keith. At the sight of him, Natalie knew they had stayed up the entire night. His eyes were bloodshot from tiredness, and he kept yawning.

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Yes, it's morning. How can you guys play that thing all night?"

"It's fun," smiled Keith, as if this explained it.

"He's good," said Zach, giving him a brotherly slap on the back. "He got me past some levels I've been stuck on," he admitted.

Natalie couldn't comprehend why that was so cool. She just didn't understand boys and their hobbies. "You guys have too much time on your hands," she stated.

Zach and Keith looked at each other before nodding. "Pretty much," mused Zach.

"How did you manage to stay up the whole night?" she wondered.

"Junk food," said Zach, stuffing a piece of cold pizza in his mouth.

Natalie grimaced. "Junk food?"

"And coffee," smiled Keith, lifting up the coffee cup that was sitting next to him.

"Coffee?"

"It does wonders," said Keith. "What time is it anyway?"

"Like ten, why?" wondered Natalie.

"Shit," said Keith, standing up quickly.

"What?" asked Natalie, wondering why Keith looked suddenly worried.

"I forgot. I need to take my pills today." Natalie followed him into his room where he quickly opened up his bag, and began taking out bottles of pills. He set the bottles on the dresser, and took one pill out of each.

"What are those pills for?" asked Natalie hesitantly.

He turned to look at her, screwing the lids on the bottles. "These are just my oral medications, for the chemo, I mean. I'm supposed to start the oral treatment today. The rest, they're just some anti-nausea pills, anti-pain and others…"

"Oh," said Natalie. "Do you get similar symptoms from the oral treatment as well?"

He nodded regretfully. "Most likely, yes. I mean, they aren't much different, it's just not as strong as when I do the IV drip."

"That makes since. You need some water?" she asked, figuring that was the reason he hadn't take the pills yet.

"Yeah." He glanced at the pills in the palm of his hand. "Um, I should also probably eat something, with these," he said, glancing up at her. "They shouldn't be taken on an empty stomach."

"Doesn't all that junk food you ate last night count?" joked Natalie, causing Keith to glare at her. "I'll make eggs and bacon. Sound good?" She stood up.

"Perfect," he smiled. They made their way into the kitchen. Keith sat at the table and took his pills, while Natalie started cooking breakfast. Natalie didn't hear anything from Keith while she was cooking. Once the eggs finished, and the bacon was done frying, she divided them onto two plates, bringing them into the kitchen. When she caught sight of Keith, Natalie had to bite her lip from laughing. He had his head rested on his arms on the table, and was sound asleep. Natalie set the dish in front of Keith, and sat down next to him.

"Keith," she shook him. "I know you're tired, but you have to eat."

He didn't move, and Natalie wondered if she'd even be able to wake him up. She shook him again, and he finally moaned and opened his eyes. He lifted his head up, rubbing his eyes as if it would help him stay awake. "Sorry," he grinned, pulling the plate towards him. "I think I need more coffee." He took a bite of eggs.

"I'm making some now," she said, taking a bite of bacon. "It should be done in a few minutes."

"I can't believe you stayed up all night," said Natalie. "I don't think I've done that since middle school."

He smiled. "It was fun. Your brother is a pretty cool guy."

Natalie laughed. "If you say so." They ate their food for a few minutes, and then Natalie got up and poured two cups of coffee, adding cream and sugar to hers, leaving Keith's black.

"Thanks, Partner," smiled Keith, as she handed him his cup. Just as they were finishing up their breakfast, Cynthia walked in carrying a DVD.

"Keith," she said. "Will you watch this with me?" she asked, handing him the DVD which he took from her to look at.

"Is this Hannah Montana?" he guessed, turning the DVD over.

She nodded, grinning. "Yup, it is. Can we watch my favorite episode?"

"Sure. What's that?"

Cynthia took the DVD from him. "It's 'When You Wish You Were the Star,'" she stated. "It has Jesse McCartney in it."

Keith ate the rest of his food in a hurry, and stood up. "Okay, let's go," he said, with excitement that made Cynthia smile. "Come on, Partner. You're going to watch this too," Keith called, grabbing his cup of coffee and following Cynthia into the living room.

When Natalie sat down on the couch, Keith leaned up against her, waiting for Cynthia to start the episode. "You going to be able to stay awake?" she asked, as he yawned.

He yawned again before speaking. "I better, or she'll yell at me," he joked, glancing over at Cynthia who was sitting in the chair next to them.

They started the episode and halfway through it, Cynthia glanced over at Keith, then back to the T.V. "You know," she stated, pausing the episode. "Jesse McCartney, he looks a lot like you. Doesn't he, Natalie?"

Natalie glanced at Keith and back at the T.V. "You're right. He does."

"Jesse who?" asked Keith.

"McCartney, duh," said Cynthia, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world. "The singer."

"Oh, right," said Keith. "Him."

"You have no idea who he is, do you?" asked Natalie.

Keith looked guilty. "Um, no, not at all."

"Natalie, your boyfriend's hopeless," said Cynthia.

"I know," laughed Natalie.

Cynthia went to start the episode, but turned to look back at Keith. "Can you sing?" she wondered seriously.

Keith chuckled. "Me, sing?" he asked. "No way," he shook his head.

"Darn," said Cynthia. "That would have been really cool. But, you could still go as Jesse McCartney for Halloween. You just wouldn't be able to do the singing part. "

"I have the wrong hair color," said Keith, hoping to get out of this.

"We can get you a wig, or dye it," said Cynthia. "Don't worry, we have a few months to figure this out," she declared, starting the episode again.

"I'm in big trouble," whispered Keith, glancing over at Natalie.

"Don't look at me," smiled Natalie. "You're going to have to get out of that one yourself."

They watched another episode straight after, and Natalie was shocked that Keith was able to stay awake. However, halfway during the third episode, Keith got up, telling them he'd be right back.

But he never returned.

Once the episode ended, Natalie was a bit worried as to where he went. "Where's Keith?" asked Cynthia, taking the DVD out. Realizing for the first time, Keith was gone.

"I don't know," replied Natalie. "Maybe he fell asleep or something," she surmised. Natalie got up from the couch, and walked upstairs, checking his room to see if he had fallen asleep but he wasn't there. She checked Zach's room, but he wasn't there either.

The only other place he could be was her room, so she went in to check. When she walked in she saw her bathroom light on, she walked up to it knocking hesitantly. "Keith?" she called before opening the door.

He was leaning up against the wall, and gave her a small forced smile when she walked in. "Hey," he said softly.

Natalie knelt down next to him. "You okay?" she asked, glancing in his eyes, making sure he was telling the truth.

He shrugged, looking embarrassed. "I'm just feeling a little nauseous."

"Do you need anything?" she asked.

He leaned his head against the wall. "Do you think I could get some water?"

Natalie smiled. "Sure. I'll be right—"

"I'll go get it." Cynthia cut her off, surprising Natalie who hadn't realized Cynthia had followed her.

"Okay," smiled Natalie. Cynthia ran out of the room, a smile on her face, excited to be helpful.

Natalie glanced over to Keith, just as he was yawning. "Do you want to take a nap?" she asked.

He looked over at her and nodded. "Yeah, I think sleep is the only thing that will help, honestly."

"Okay," said Natalie, standing up. She grabbed Keith's hand to help him up.

Once they walked out of Natalie's bathroom, Keith walked over to Natalie's bed and fell on top of it. He grabbed her pillows and pilled them on top of each other, before leaning his head on them. "You wanna sleep here?" guessed Natalie.

"Please?" he asked, trying giving her his cutest look.

Natalie looked thoughtful. "Well, I dunno," she joked, causing him to pout. "Well, I guess you can," laughed Natalie. "You want me to close my curtains?" He nodded.

Cynthia walked back in just as Natalie finished closing her curtains. "Here, Keith," she said handing him a cup of water, which she had even placed a straw in it.

He sat up, taking the cup from her. "Thanks, Cynthia." He took a few sips before setting it on Natalie's nightstand. He laid back down.

"I also brought you this," said Cynthia, covering him with a blanket that had Hannah Montana on it. "It's my favorite blanket, but I thought you might need it."

Keith looked genuinely thankful at Cynthia's thoughtfulness "Thanks a lot, Cynthia," he said sincerely.

"Feel better," she said, before running out of the room.

Natalie sat down on the bed, and Keith opened his eyes. "I'm sorry," he said, still looking embarrassed. Natalie hoped that one day, he wouldn't be embarrassed at appearing weak in front of her.

"It's fine," said Natalie, bending down and kissing him on the forehead. "This is normal though, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"Getting nauseous like this. You only took the pills a few hours ago."

He mumbled something that Natalie couldn't understand. "What was that?" asked Natalie.

"Yeah, it's normal. I just," he stopped. "I probably shouldn't have eaten all that junk food, and greasy food, like pizza can make it worse. The symptoms, I mean."

"Keith, you need to tell me and my family that stuff, okay?" said Natalie, upset that he had left these important facts out.

He gave her a small nod. "I know, I will."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Get some sleep, okay?" she kissed him again, and his eyes drifted closed. Natalie stayed there until his breathing evened out and she knew he was asleep.

* * *

"Now, you can't tell Keith about any of this, okay?" whispered Natalie, as both she and Cynthia quietly got out of Keith's truck.

"I won't," said Cynthia. "But, what do you need all this stuff for, anyway?"

"That's not something you need to know, okay?" she said seriously.

Cynthia glared at her. "Fine," she said, taking off her shoes before she walked into the kitchen where they could hear Caroline making dinner.

Natalie quietly walked into her room, gently closing the door behind her as she carefully got onto her bed and laid next to Keith. He was still deep asleep, so she gently starting running her fingers over his arm, to wake him up slowly.

A few minutes later, he rolled over to face her, opening his eyes. "Hey," he said, his voice thick with sleep.

"How you feeling?" she asked.

"Better, I guess," he admitted. "What time is it?"

"Almost five."

"I slept that long?" he asked, looking a bit shocked. "I'm sorry."

Natalie nodded. "It's okay. You want some dinner?"

He looked skeptical. "Um, what is your Mom cooking?"

"I think lasagna," said Natalie. She could tell by the look on Keith's face that it didn't sound appetizing to him.

"Do you think I could have something else?" he asked hesitantly.

"Of course," said Natalie. "What would you like?"

He sat up; the blanket Cynthia let him borrow falling off of him and onto the floor. "Something kind of bland."

"Well, I bought some stuff for you. I got mashed potatoes and soup. Would any of that do? I'm sorry, I didn't get too much. I thought I'd wait…"

"Soup sounds good," he smiled.

"Great," she said, leaning her head against him. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer to him.

"Thanks," he whispered, almost so quietly that Natalie could barely hear him. He rested his chin on her head.

"I have a surprise for you, later, if you feel okay to go out."

"A surprise?" he repeated, excitement filling his voice. She nodded, moving her head so she could get a good look at his face. "What is it?" he asked.

Natalie giggled. "I can't tell you. It wouldn't be a surprise then, would it?"

* * *

Natalie was worried since Keith had barely eaten half of the soup she made him, but he had still insisted that he felt good enough to go out on their surprise.

"So, where are we going?" asked Keith, zipping up his black hoodie. "Hey," he said, recognition crossing his face. "That jacket looks familiar."

"Really?" asked Natalie innocently, glancing down at her jacket—Keith's jacket—that she was wearing. "That's strange. I just found it in my room," she said, feigning ignorance.

"Imagine that," smiled Keith. "So, what are we doing?"

"You'll find out," she said.

Natalie grabbed a set of keys from her pocket, handing them to Keith. "Hey, these are mine," he said.

"I know," she smiled. "You're driving."

As soon as they left Natalie's neighborhood, she began giving Keith random directions. "Turn here," Natalie pointed to a side street. Keith complied, giving her a curious look while doing so.

Once he turned on the street, he looked over to her. "I have no idea where we are."

She smiled, excited. "That's the plan. Stop, here," she said, picking a random house to stop at.

He slammed on the brakes, causing Natalie to almost hit the dashboard, he chucked. "What?' he said innocently. "You told me to stop."

Natalie glared at him. "Not like that. Geez, you're going to give me whiplash."

He smiled, and then glanced outside. The sun was setting casting an eerie orange and yellow glow. "So, why are we here of all places?"

Natalie bent down and grabbed a bag that was sitting at her feet. Keith watched her with curious eyes as she unzipped it. Inside the bag were two bowling balls.

"Bowling balls?" he asked, smirking. "Now, where did you get this idea from?"

"Oh someone, you don't know him," she stated, eyes shining.

He glanced more closely at the bowling balls. "Are these the ones that we had last time?"

"Yup. They were back at The Salvation Army. I remembered seeing them when we got the suitcase so Cynthia and I went back and go them today."

He turned to look at the house that he had parked at, he pointed at it. "So, who exactly are we going to be leaving a bowling ball for?" he asked excited to take part in one of his favorite activities.

Natalie shrugged. "No one in particular."

"Even better," he smiled. "You go first. It was your idea anyway."

She unbuckled her seatbelt, holding the bowling ball close to her chest. "Okay, I'll be back."

He watched her cross the newly cut grass on the front yard and place the bowling ball right in the middle of the yard. She ran back, throwing herself into the truck. "Keith—GO! I think someone saw me," she said hysterically. She had sworn she had seen someone from the corner of her eye watching her place the bowling ball on the grass.

He started the truck slowly—painstakingly slow—to Natalie. He fixed his mirror, but when he glanced out of his rear view mirror, his smile turned down to a frown. "Oh shit," he cursed.

"What?" Natalie glanced over her shoulder. At the sight of someone walking towards them, her heart started racing. "_Oh no_," she whispered. An old lady had walked out of her house, picked up the bowling ball, holding it rather difficulty to her chest, and was making her way over to the truck.

As she got closer to them, Keith lowered his window, giving the old lady a huge lopsided grin. "Hello, Miss," he introduced. "Is there something you need?" he asked, trying to be charming.

She walked close the side of the truck; she was barely tall enough to see inside. She glanced up at Keith. "Yes, that young girl just dropped this bowling ball off in my yard." She still held onto the bowling ball, tightly as if she didn't want to let go of it. "Oh?" Keith said. The old lady nodded her head. "We don't have any bowling balls."

"Yes you do. There is one, right there." She moved her head to indicate the bowling ball that was sitting between Natalie and Keith.

Keith looked to where she had indicated. "Oh, you're right," he bent lower so he could whisper into her ear. "You see, Miss. We're, that is, Natalie and I, are part of a Bowling Ball Giving Ring."

She perked up at this. "Like a secret group?"

Keith and Natalie nodded. "Yes, a secret group, but you have to be very quiet about it because if word gets out," he shook his head, looking sullen. "I don't even want to think about what will happen."

"What does this secret Bowling Ball Giving Ring group do?"

Natalie spoke up. "Oh, well you, see, bowling is the most popular sport in America and we think that more people should join in, so we help people out by dropping bowling balls off on their front lawns."

The old lady nodded in understanding. "That is so nice of you two. Thinking of others. Well, I think I may just try bowling out," she smiled at them, glancing down at her bowling ball. "Would you look at that," she exclaimed. "Pasty, engraved in the bowling ball. That was my nickname my hubby use to call me."

"Then, that's the perfect bowling ball for you," smiled Keith. "It's lucky already."

The old lady's eyes shined. "Indeed it is. You two have a nice evening." She trotted off, in her pink slippers; the rollers in her hair were falling out from the slight breeze, but she was still holding her new bowling ball tight to her chest, almost afraid as if someone was going to come by and take it from her. They both watched her until she walked into her house, then they started laughing.

"I can't believe," Natalie had to stop to catch her breath, "she actually bought that."

Keith was laughing so hard he couldn't speak for a few seconds, finally he choked out. "I thought we were totally busted."

"You weren't scared, though," commented Natalie.

He turned to look at her. "Me? Nah."

"Why, though?" she asked curious. "We could have gotten into some serious trouble."

"Serious trouble? Probably not, trust me there are a lot worse things to be scared about than dropping a bowling ball off on someone's lawn and getting caught."

Seconds passed before she responded. "I'm beginning to realize that, thanks to you." And she was. Ever since she had met him he had allowed to her to actually live her life instead of following what other people wanted and expected of her. Sometimes it was fun to break the rules, to be a little spontaneous, like she was tonight. "To be silly, careless, adventuresome, brave—it's kind of fun," she added.

Keith started his truck and began driving a random direction to the next house. They dropped off the last bowling ball a couple blocks away, and luckily didn't get caught again.

"Where are you going?" asked Natalie, as Keith began driving in the direction of her house.

Keith glanced over at her. "Um, your house," he said, looking at her curiously.

"You don't think we're done, do you?" asked Natalie, smirking.

"There were only two bowling balls, Partner," he replied, rolling his eyes.

Natalie nodded. "Yes," she said slowly. "But, we haven't gotten to the stuff in the back yet."

"What stuff?" asked Keith.

"Don't ask questions," said Natalie. "Turn over here."

Keith looked beyond confused, but excited as well. He turned where Natalie pointed and continued to follow her directions until she told him to stop. "What are we doing?" asked Keith.

Natalie unbuckled her seatbelt. "Just watch and learn," she smiled. Keith watched as Natalie got out of the truck, and took off a tarp that was covering a bunch of white metal reindeer. The reindeers that were normally found in the front yard during Christmastime.

She grabbed two of them from the back of the truck and quietly carried them to the front yard of the house. Quickly, she arranged the two reindeer and admired her work. She glanced back at Keith, and laughed at his dumbfounded expression. Looking back at the display, she let out a laugh again, upon seeing the buck which was straddling the other reindeer in a suggestive position. When she got back into the truck, Keith was giving her a look of astonishment mixed with pride. "Seems like the student has become the master," he winked, pride overflowing in his voice.

"We still have three reindeer left. It's your turn next." She gave him the directions to the next house, and when he parked he turned to give her a curious look.

"Raff's house?" he asked, curious.

"Yup," she nodded.

"I _love_ you," he whispered, an excited glint in his eyes.

Keith got out of the truck, and carefully grabbed the three reindeer from the back of the truck. He arranged the three into a position that made even Natalie blush. Just as he was finishing up the arrangement, the front door of the house opened and Raff came running out.

Running, Keith jumped into his truck. Raff had stopped running, glanced at the display, before glancing at Keith.

"Payback's a bitch," yelled Keith, flipping off Raff as he drove away, laughing.

"Did you see his face?" laughed Natalie.

Keith, continuing to laugh, looked into Natalie's eyes. "I _really _love you."

* * *

_**A/N:**__ Hey, guys. Even though I did mention that this story is already completed. I've been rewriting a lot of what I've written. What I would really love is some feedback from my readers on what your favorite types of scenes are, and what you'd like to see more of. Would you like more angst? Drama? Romance? Humor? Please let me know! I'd really appreciate it. Thanks so much for reading; I hope you enjoyed this chapter!_

_ By the way, I know that this story is set in 2006 and that Jesse McCartney didn't film the Hannah Montana episode until 2007, but for the sake of this chapter, let's just pretend it was already on DVD in 2006…_


	11. This Is My Now

**A/N: **_Thank you guys for all of the reviews and your suggestions. I will definitely be incorporating them into the next few chapters! Just a warning, there is some adult content (honest, this time!) and some scenes of sexual reference in this chapter, so please don't read them it if it makes you uncomfortable._

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* * *

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**Chapter Eleven: This Is My Now **

A few weeks had passed and nothing much had gone on. To Natalie, it seemed that Keith was starting to feel more comfortable in her house, for which she was extremely grateful. Natalie had also turned in her resume to Hooked on Books, and had gotten an immediate call back to do an interview, which was scheduled in a few days time. She was really nervous, but Keith kept reassuring her that she was fretting over nothing.

It was a Sunday afternoon, and Natalie was in the living room reading, while Keith was over at Andy's, his friend who helped him with his truck. She hadn't been reading for long when she heard her parents start yelling. Quietly, she stood up, tip-toeing down the hallway towards their room. She poised her arm, ready to knock, but quickly lowered it, changing her mind about interrupting them; instead, she leaned close to the door, listening.

"Pete, we can go in two years, but I really don't think now isn't the right time," said Caroline, her voice full of determination.

"Honey, you've been dreaming of going to Italy since you were younger—we've had this vacation planned for years."

Caroline huffed. "Then another year or two won't make a difference," she argued.

There was movement and Natalie backed away a few inches from the door. "We have the money," he stated. "Just because we're—"

"You never know," Caroline cut him off. "What if something happens, I don't want to take any chances."

"That's not going to—"

"Pete, this is the end of the discussion. I'm not risking this; just imagine if we couldn't," she breathed deeply. "I can't bear to imagine, they'd be devastated. We'd be devastated. I—"

"We'll wait," Pete sighed, and started whispering something quietly enough that Natalie couldn't hear.

Natalie was going to stay and listen in more, to see if she could make sense of their words, but she heard the front door open, and her name being called.

"Partner? You home?" the voice called again.

Quickly, she walked down the hall, and back into the living room. "Hey," she smiled, catching sight of Keith.

"What's up?" he asked, walking over to hug her.

"Nothing much. I was just reading my book," she said, hoping she didn't sound too guilty.

He rolled his eyes. "What's new?"

Natalie swatted him on the arm playfully. "Shut up. How was Andy's?

"It was great," a huge grin spread across his face. "Do you wanna make some lunch? I'm starving."

"Sure," she smiled, following Keith into the kitchen. The conversation she had overheard from her parents, quickly escaping to the back of her mind.

* * *

A few days later, the morning of her interview, Natalie woke up nervous. After many outfit changes, she finally settled on black slacks and a black and white polka dot dress shirt. She curled her hair a little at the ends, making sure it didn't look too fancy.

When she walked into the kitchen after getting ready, she was surprised to see Keith awake, still in his pajamas, standing in front of the stove. "What are you doing?" she asked standing in the entryway to the kitchen.

He turned around, a huge grin plastered on his face. "Making you breakfast," he said, as if this was obvious. He walked up to her, wrapping his arms around her before bending down and kissing her on the lips. "Good morning," he said once they broke away.

"Morning," she said, smiling. "You really got up early to make me breakfast?"

He walked back over to the stove to check on the eggs and bacon. "Of course," he smiled. "You make me breakfast all the time. Plus, today is your big day. You're going to get a job," he exclaimed happily.

Natalie frowned as she took a sit at the kitchen table. "I'm not sure," she sighed. "I mean, I have no experience."

He grabbed two plates, placing some eggs and bacon on each, before handing one to Natalie. "Thanks," she grinned. "This looks really good."

He sat next to her, taking a bite of bacon before speaking. "I hope it tastes good."

Natalie tried the eggs. "It's great," she said.

Keith took a sip of coffee. "So, you ready?"

Natalie shook her head, glancing up to Keith. "I'm so nervous. I've never had an interview, I don't even know what to expect."

"They're not that bad," said Keith seriously. "You're worrying over nothing."

"You've had a job?"

Keith nodded. "Yeah, not for a long, though."

"Where at?" asked Natalie, curious.

"At Andy's shop, actually. That's where I met him," he said.

"When was that?" wondered Natalie.

"Just before junior year of high school, right after my mom died," mentioned Keith thoughtfully.

"Why'd you quit?"

Keith looked a bit upset at this question, but still answered. "Well, a few months after I got the job that's when I got sick. I mean, we didn't find out I had leukemia for a long time. I was just sick a lot, and I had to keep missing work. Andy was nice about it, though," he said wistfully. "But, once we found out what was wrong, I had to quit, since I had to go through chemo and still go to school. Working wasn't really an option."

"Wow, I'm sorry," said Natalie. "That must have been hard, to have just lost your mom, and then to find out…"

Keith shrugged, averting his gaze to his plate. "Well, yeah, it was. Harder for my dad though, I think." He looked back up to Natalie. "But, Andy still lets me come over whenever I want, so I still get to learn as much as I want about trucks," he smiled.

"Oh joy," joked Natalie

Keith rolled his eyes. "Anyways, Partner, you're going to do fine today, they'll love you."

She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "You're too sweet."

"Well, it's true," he said, before a thought occurred to him. "Can you still take me today? To my treatment. You know, I shouldn't drive after them."

"Of course, I shouldn't be gone too long."

"Thanks," he said. "You look beautiful, you know that?" he added.

Natalie blushed. "Really?" she whispered, staring into his eyes.

"The most beautiful girl I've ever seen," he stated.

* * *

As soon as Natalie walked into Hooked on Books, a vibrant lady, who looked to be in her early forties, greeted her as she walked in.

"Natalie, it's so nice to meet you." They shook hands.

"Nice to meet you too, um?"

"It's Melanie, I'm the owner," she smiled. "My, my, you're all dressed up," she exclaimed, looking Natalie over.

"Yeah," said Natalie. "I mean, this _is _an interview," she smiled, sensing Melanie's laid back nature.

Melanie laughed as she led Natalie into the back. Melanie opened a small door to her office, and Natalie walked in behind her. The office was small, and cluttered. There were books, pictures, and pieces of paper everywhere. Natalie wondered how she could even get anything done. Maybe, it was just disorganized chaos.

Melanie sat down at her chair, indicating for Natalie to sit down across from her. Once Natalie was settled, Melanie began talking. "Interview? I hate the word. Sounds too formal. I much rather prefer these to be considered getting-to-know-you meetings," she mused.

"That's a nice way to put it," smiled Natalie hesitantly. She glanced around the tiny office, trailing her eyes over the many pictures that were hanging crooked on the wall.

"Anyways, I just wanted to meet the person I'm going to hire. I need make sure you're not like some psycho that's going to take all my money one night and run off to Vegas and elope or something."

Natalie laughed, taking her gaze away from the pictures to look at Melanie. "Well, I was planning more like Hawaii, or the Bahamas."

"In that case, you're hired," stated Melanie. Natalie gave her a wary look. "I'm serious," she added, noticing Natalie's expression.

"Really?" asked Natalie breathlessly. "I have this," she handed her a piece of paper. "It's just my school transcripts. I've-I've never had a job," she admitted weakly, hoping this didn't ruin her chances.

Melanie grabbed the paper, setting it on her desk without glancing at it. She then proceeded to open a drawer in her desk, and began shuffling around, looking for something. After a few seconds, a smile graced her face and she pulled out a big box of chocolates. "Want one?" asked Melanie, handing her the box.

Natalie nervously grabbed a piece of chocolate. "Thanks." Natalie stared at Melanie nervously, trying to determine if this was for real, or if they were just playing some strange prank on her.

"Don't give me that look," laughed Melanie. "Trust me, this is for real. I'm just kind of a spaz—too much coffee, sugar, or something."

"So," asked Natalie hesitantly. "I have the job?"

Melanie nodded. "Didn't I tell you that already?" she said, biting into a piece of chocolate.

"I was just making—"

She cut her off. "So, how many hours do you want to work a week?"

"Whatever you need," said Natalie.

"How about you just make your own hours? I hate making schedules, damn waste of time. Confusing as hell, too."

"Um, sure," said Natalie slowly. "What kind of stuff do you need help with?"

Melanie tapped her pencil on her desk for a few seconds, in deep thought. "We need help with inventory, unpacking shipments, and sometimes, if it's really busy, help with the customers," she finally stated. "I guess twenty-five hours a week would be good."

Natalie smiled. "That works perfectly. What time—"

The door to Melanie's office banged opened, cutting Natalie off, and two identical looking girls walked in. "Sorry," they whispered in unison, glancing at Natalie.

"Are you busy?" one the girls asked, looking over to Melanie.

"Na, we're just chatting. Girls, I'd like you to meet Natalie," she said, waving her hands over to Natalie. "Natalie, these are my daughters. They work here."

"Hi," said Natalie, giving them both a small nervous smile.

"Hey," said the girl, standing nearest to Natalie. "I'm April."

"And I'm Dawn," said the other girl. "You can tell us apart by this," she said indicating to a freckle on her cheek.

"If it weren't for that freckle," commented Melanie while shaking her head. "I'd probably have mixed them up countless times and Dawn would be April and April would be Dawn, and April could've…You get the point."

"Nice to meet you," said Natalie, once Melanie stopped rambling.

"You too," they said, moving to take the two empty seats next to Natalie.

"So, are you going to be working here?" asked Dawn, taking a chocolate from the box that was sitting on her mom's desk.

"I think so," said Natalie, glancing at Melanie for confirmation again.

"Yes, she is," said Melanie. "She's going to work about twenty-five hours a week. She'll be helping with inventory, sales, and unloading shipments."

"Are there other employees here?" wondered Natalie.

Melanie shook her head. "Na, just us three. Well, my husband helps out some days, but he has his own job."

Natalie's eyes widened. "Wow, that's impressive."

Melanie shrugged. "It's a small store. We didn't really need anyone else until now, but it's starting to get a bit busier. Plus, Dawn and April will be starting college in a few weeks, and won't be able to work as much. So, I just need someone to help me some days."

"Seems like a lot of work to me," admitted Natalie. "When do you want me to start?"

"Tomorrow?" supplied Melanie.

"Sounds good. What time?"

"Two till close, which will be about eight," Melanie asked.

"That's perfect," said Natalie. Melanie, then, picked up Natalie's transcripts and began trailing her eyes over them.

Since Melanie was busy reading, April turned to Natalie. "It's going to be fun working with you," said April. "Won't make it so boring."

Melanie looked up. "April, don't scare her away. We just got her." She glanced at Natalie. "It's not boring, Natalie, we have a blast!"

"Seems like it," smiled Natalie.

"Good grief, girl," said Melanie, glancing at the transcripts once more. "I don't want to get too personal, but with these grades, why aren't you going to college?"

"Oh, um," stuttered Natalie. "My boyfriend."

Melanie looked upset. "You're not going to college because of your boyfriend? Now, I know you're a bright girl, but Natalie—"

"It's not like that," interrupted Natalie. They all gave her curious looks, so she continued. "He," she swallowed. "He has cancer."

Melanie's face fell. "Oh, I had no idea. I didn't mean to bring it up," she said seriously.

"It's fine," said Natalie sincerely. "He's going through treatment, but I mean that's never one hundred percent you know—he could still…Anyway, I just want to be here, with him, in case. And with college, it just takes a lot of time, you know? Plus, I'd really like a break."

"No regrets," said Melanie wistfully.

"Exactly," smiled Natalie.

"Is he cute?" spoke Dawn.

"Yup," said Natalie, grinning.

"Handsome?" wondered April.

"Oh, yeah," said Natalie, her grin growing.

"Sexy?" wondered Melanie, causing her daughters to glare at her in embarrassment.

"Definitely," laughed Natalie. "Most definitely."

* * *

That afternoon, Natalie was found in the waiting room of the hospital. Currently, she was flipping through her fifth magazine. What was taking them so long? She had been sitting in the waiting room for over four hours. She had already gone up to the nurses' desk five times, asking them when Keith would be done.

The old nurse had replied in an irritating voice. "These things take time, dear."

So, doing the only thing she could, she sat there, staring at the wall in front of her, watching the hands on the clock move slowly. She tried to keep her mind on other things, but her thoughts kept drifting back to Keith.

About a half hour since she had last asked the receptionist about Keith, a quiet voice brought her out of her thoughts. "Natalie?" She turned to look next to her to see Dr. Normandy, and she let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding.

"Is he done?" she asked, standing up, anxious to go see Keith.

"Yes, he's all done," he said slowly, making sure not to meet her in the eyes.

Natalie furrowed her brows at Dr. Normandy strange behavior. "Is something wrong?" she asked her voice demanding.

Dr. Normandy placed a hand on Natalie's shoulder, in an attempt to comfort her, but it didn't help. "Don't worry," he started, finally looking her in her eyes. "I just need to talk to you and Keith."

"Okay," said Natalie, feeling dread spread through her.

"What's going on?" asked Natalie, as soon as she walked up to Keith.

"Nothing much," he whispered, and Natalie sensed that he had some idea on what was going on, but didn't want to say anything.

Natalie sat down in the chair next to Keith, while Dr. Normandy stood near them. "Keith, the reason we have to do a bigger dose of chemo today was—"

"Bigger dose? What do you mean?" asked Natalie worriedly, glancing over at Keith who just shrugged sadly.

Dr. Normandy sighed. "The chemo, it's not working as well, or as fast, as I had expected. Natalie covered her eyes with her hand, trying to prevent tears from building. She felt Keith grab her hand tightly. "But, don't worry, it's only been a month and it's _still_ working."

"My chances," spoke up Keith. "Of beating this. They're still good, right?" he asked hesitantly.

Natalie lowered her hand from her face to glance at Dr. Normandy, awaiting his answer. "Yes, they're still good, great even," he sighed. "Just not as good as I'd like. I'm sorry to tell this news to you guys, when it's only been month. I just had to let you guys know why we are making the changes. Just, don't lose hope, okay? We're just going to increase his dosages, and everything should be fine. It's just…Hope is always good."

Natalie glanced over to Keith, who was playing with an invisible string on his shirt, as if he was trying to ignore what Dr. Normandy was saying. "Hope," she whispered, squeezing Keith's hand to get his attention, he looked up her.

Glancing into Natalie's eyes, he whispered. "Hope."

* * *

Natalie and Keith talked to Dr. Normandy for a while, going over the specifics on what was going to change in Keith's treatment, before they left the hospital. Their moods were considerably down, but Natalie was going to try and make sure that what they had just found out didn't bring their moods down too much. They were almost to Natalie's house, when Keith glanced over to her, and spoke.

"Do we have to go back now?" he whispered.

Natalie glanced nervously at him. "No," she said slowly. "We don't. I just thought you might be tired."

He shrugged. "Yeah, well. Can we go to our spot?" he asked, brightening up a little.

Natalie nodded, quickly turning around and driving to their spot. They didn't speak, until they were sitting against their rock at their spot.

"This sucks," whispered Keith, staring ahead.

"Yeah," agreed Natalie, turning to look at him. "But, Dr. Normandy says the chemo is still working, and your chances are still great. They just have to change your dosages a bit."

"He's lying," said Keith, anger growing on his face. "Nothing's working, I bet."

Natalie turned her body so she could look at him. "Keith, why would you think that?" He shrugged. "He's not lying, he's being honest—but these things, they happen," she said, trying to make him feel better. "Dr. Normandy, he's just a doctor. He can only _guess _how the chemo is going to work. He was just letting us know the progress."

"Yeah, well—"

"Please, don't let this bring you down, okay?" Silence. "Please?"

He licked his lips before glancing over to her. "Okay, I won't. It was just really unexpected," he sighed. "I'm sorry for acting like this."

Natalie grabbed his hand to stop him from nervously pulling at the bottom of his shirt. "Hey, I understand. It's scary to think about the fact that the treatment might not work, but let's just not worry about the future, okay? Let's live in the now."

He turned to look at her, a contemplate look adoring his face. "Live in the now?" he whispered.

Natalie nodded hesitantly. "Yeah, how's that sound?"

Thankfully, a huge lopsided grin appeared across his face. "I think that sounds pretty good," he admitted. Natalie leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Can you promise me something?" spoke up Keith, a few minutes later.

"What?" asked Natalie softly.

"Just, if this doesn't all work out, and I…Just promise me, you'll follow your dreams, okay? I just need to make sure that you—"

"I promise," she whispered. He wrapped his arms around her, and she leaned her head against his shoulder.

Right _now_, they were together, and that was enough.

* * *

They both sat there, Natalie resting her head against Keith's shoulder, for how long she didn't know. It had to have been at least an hour, when Keith began yawning and Natalie figured it was time to go. "You wanna go?" she asked, sitting up.

He looked over at her, yawning again. "Yeah," he said. "I'm kind of tired."

They both stood up, but before they made their way back to the car, Keith grabbed something out of his pocket, bringing it up to his mouth. Natalie had to squint her eyes in the darkness to figure out what it was.

Tic-tacs.

He poured all of them into his mouth, before Natalie could stop him. "Hey," said Natalie. "I wanted one."

He glanced at his empty tic-tac box, giving her a sheepish look. "Sorry," he said meekly.

Natalie rolled her eyes, making her way to her car. But, just when her hand was inches away from the handle, Keith caught up to her, grabbing her wrist gently and turning her around so her back was leaning up against her car, and she was facing him.

"Wha—"

He crashed his lips against hers, silencing her. Greedily he ran his tongue over her bottom lip, demanding entrance.

She allowed it.

And the first thing she tasted was mint. She went to deepen the kiss, but Keith did something that surprised her, causing her to pull away from him, shocked.

"_Keith!_" she admonished.

He backed up a bit, giving her an adorable smirk. "You said you wanted a tic-tac, so I gave you one."

She couldn't get over how incredibly adorable he looked, standing there, in front of her, his green eyes shining with excitement at what he had just done. She grabbed the end of his t-shirt, pulling him closer to her, so she could whisper into his ear.

"I've changed my mind," she whispered, her breath tickling his ear. "I don't want a tic-tac."

He moved, placing his hands on each side of her, trapping her. He stared into her eyes. He leaned his face close to hers. "Why not?" he breathed, his voice low and husky.

"Because," she whispered, kissing his lips softly. "I want _you_ instead." She looped her fingers through his belt loops, and he stumbled into her, his lips crashing onto hers.

She let go of his belt loops and instead gripped the bottom of his shirt and lifted. She wanted it off him...Now. She wanted to see his smooth skin, feel his smooth skin. His shirt was thrown carelessly onto the dirty ground within seconds. "I want you," he growled.

Quickly, and gracefully, at the same time, he opened the back door of her car, gently lifting her up and laying her down on the seat. He climbed on top of her, and she wrapped her arms around his back. He bent down, kissing her with a vigor and intensity she had never known him to have. It was new to her. And she liked it.

She liked it a lot.

Breaking away from his lips, she began kissing his neck; she could feel goosebumps, rising on his back. Goosebumps appearing because of _her_. She kissed a tender spot on the side of his neck and he moaned in pleasure. "_Now_," she demanded.

He complied.

* * *

The next afternoon, Natalie arrived at Hooked on Books for her first day of work, exactly at two.

"Hey," said Natalie, glancing at the three of them as she walked in.

"Natalie," smiled Melamine. "How're you?"

"I'm good," she smiled. Melanie waved her over to where the three of them were standing.

"Would you like some coffee? We're just making some," asked Dawn, who was standing in the tiny coffee area.

"At two?" she asked. They nodded, all looking a little guilty.

"We're a bit addicted," admitted Dawn.

"Me too," whispered Natalie, as if this was some type of secret. "What would you like me to do?" she asked, looking around the bookstore.

"We got a shipment of books in today. Would you wanted place them on the display? April can show you how," asked Melanie.

Natalie nodded. "Sounds great."

April walked over to Natalie. "Ready?" she asked. Natalie nodded, and followed April to a small corner in the bookstore.

"Now," started April, "normally, in all those _other_ bookstores, they prefer to put books in alphabetical order. We prefer to sort them by color to make them more aesthetically pleasing to the customers."

"That's kind of cool," mused Natalie, watching how April set up the display before mimicking her.

It took Natalie a few hours to get use to the new and interesting ways that they organized their store. For instance, it wasn't divided by genre, but like April had designed their display—everything was organized by color. When standing far enough back, the rows of bookcases almost looked like rainbows.

Just as they were closing up for the day, Natalie finally got brave enough to ask the question that had bugging her all day. "So, how exactly do customers find what they're looking for?"

"Oh, they don't," said Melanie happily. At Natalie's look she continued. "We like to think that it's more like a journey when coming into our store. Customers come in expecting to get something, but leave getting something else."

"I see," smiled Natalie. "It's really cool. Is this a new design, though? 'Cause I don't remember having trouble finding anything when I came in here."

Dawn butted in. "Yeah, we just came up with it a few months ago, and it kind of stuck. We haven't been getting _too_ many complaints."

"Hey," shrugged Natalie, "it's different."

"Exactly," said Dawn. "Why follow the trends. Why not be original?"

"Why not?" questioned Natalie back, glancing over at the rows of books happily.

"Pizza time!" came April, walking into the room.

"Pizza?" asked Natalie. "What for?"

"For your first day," smiled Melanie. "Go on, take a piece."

"Thanks," said Natalie. "You guys are really nice for doing this."

April placed the pizza box on the floor and they all circled around it.

"So," started April, after taking a huge bite of pizza. "What's your boyfriend's name?"

"It's Keith."

"Ah," said Melanie. "Warrior descending."

"What?" sputtered Natalie, giving her a confused expression.

Melanie gave her a sheepish look. "Sorry, I love to know the meaning of names—I know hundreds of them. Natalie, for instance, means, To Be Born."

"Wow, that's really cool," said Natalie.

"So," broke in Dawn. "How'd you guys meet?"

"Chemistry class, actually," she smiled. "We were lab partners."

"That's so romantic," sighed Dawn. "Why can't I meet a boy like that?"

"You will," said Natalie. "You know, it normally happens when you aren't expecting it. You don't think to yourself. 'Oh, he's my lab partner. I'm going to fall in love with him.' But," she said slowly, "it just happens."

"That is the sweetest thing," they all sighed at the same time, causing Natalie to blush.

"How's he doing?" April asked hesitantly.

"He's doing well," said Natalie. "Really well."

Natalie last track of time, talking to the three of them about school, boys, and hobbies. It wasn't until she heard her cell phone ring that she realized how late it was. "Hello?"

"Natalie, are you still at work?" asked Caroline's worried voice.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I lost track of time, what's up?" she asked, mouthing an 'I'm sorry' to everyone.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but it was getting late and Keith hasn't been feeling very well tonight and was thinking maybe you should come home and see what's up. If you can, that is."

"What's wrong?" she asked quickly.

Caroline sighed. "I don't really know. He won't talk to us much. He keeps telling us he's fine, but we don't believe it. He's shut himself up in the bathroom, I checked on him about an hour ago and he fell asleep in there. I'm just worried; I was hoping you could check on him, he'll probably talk to you."

"Of course, we were just talking. I'll leave right now." She hung up a few minutes later, and everyone was glancing at Natalie, worried.

"Is everything all right?" asked April.

"It's Keith, he's apparently not feeling well," she sighed.

"What's wrong?" asked April, concerned crossing her face.

"It's just probably from the chemo—he had another treatment yesterday, so…"

Dawn looked at Natalie curiously. "Is he living with you?" she asked hesitantly.

Natalie nodded. "Yeah, his dad has to be away from work for a while."

"That's sweet of your parents to watch him," said Dawn, picking up the pizza box and throwing it away.

"Yeah, it is," she smiled. "Look, I'm sorry, but I should probably get going," she said, pointing to the front door.

"_Go!"_ said Melanie, waving her hand. "You've been here long enough."

Natalie stood up. "Thanks a lot for the pizza, and everything. Oh, when should I be in next? Tomorrow?"

Melanie smiled. "Sure, as long as Keith is feeling better. If he's not, be a good girlfriend and stay with him, okay?" she joked.

Natalie laughed. "If you say so. I'll be in at two, okay? Thanks for everything."

"It was our pleasure. Oh, and Natalie?" called Melanie.

She turned around. "Yeah?"

"Tell Keith, once he feels better, to get his sexy ass in here so we can meet him."

April and Dawn gave their mom and embarrassed look and April hissed. "_Mom._"

"I'll let him know," smiled Natalie, grinning. "See you guys tomorrow."

* * *

When Natalie arrived home, she found Keith exactly where her mom had told him he was—sleeping in the guest bathroom. Sighing, Natalie knelt down next to him, and gently shook him.

"Keith," she whispered, "wake up." He moaned irritated, but didn't wake. She shook him again. "Keith, wake up," she whispered. Finally, this time, he slowly opened his eyes.

Once he caught sight of Natalie, he quickly sat up. "Where," he looked at his surroundings and recognition crossed his face. "Oh," he whispered.

"Not feeling too well tonight?" stated Natalie, sadly. He shrugged. "What's wrong?" she asked slowly, hoping he'd tell her.

"I'm just really nauseous, and I _hurt_," he said quickly. "It's probably from the bigger dose…"

"You took your medication, right?" asked Natalie, making sure.

He nodded. "Yeah, it's just not working very well, I guess." He rubbed his forehead with the palm of his hand, and Natalie wondered if he had a headache as well.

"Have you been sick?" questioned Natalie. A blush rose on his cheeks. "Keith?"

"Maybe," he whispered, and Natalie knew that was his way of saying yes.

"You wanna get into bed now?"

He nodded, and she gently helped him into bed, opening his windows so he could get a slight breeze.

"You need anything?" she asked.

"No," he whispered.

Natalie pulled the comforter over him, and bent down to kiss him on the lips. "Sleep well."

At this, his eyes snapped open. "Where are you going? Are you leaving?" he asked, worried.

Natalie nodded. "Yeah, you can come get me if you need anything, okay?"

He didn't look too pleased at this. "Can't you stay?"

"Stay?" He nodded. "Oh, well, Keith, my parents wouldn't be very happy." He looked incredibly upset at her answer, and gave her one last pleading look before closing his eyes. Natalie knew she should have just left then, but she felt bad. So, regardless of how much trouble she knew she was going to be in tomorrow. She walked over to the other side of the bed, toed off her shoed, and crawled into the bed next to him. "Okay," she whispered, cuddling up next to him.

Just as Natalie closed her eyes, he spoke. "You're staying?" he asked, a hint of doubt laced in his voice.

Natalie opened her eyes. "Yes, I'm staying," she whispered.

"You're staying the _whole_ night?" he clarified.

Natalie grabbed his hand under the covers. "Yes, the whole night."

* * *

"Natalie, what were you thinking," scolded Caroline as Natalie entered the kitchen.

Busted.

"What do you mean?" she asked innocently. She sat down next to her dad, who was busy reading the newspaper. Natalie suspected he tried to look busy so he wouldn't have to join in on what Natalie suspected was going to be a horrible and embarrassing conversation.

"You know exactly what I am talking about—I found you missing from your bed this morning, young lady. And where did I find you? I found you , with Keith, in the same bed!" she ranted.

"So?" There was no use denying it, she _had_ been caught.

Caroline glanced over at Pete for help, but he kept his eyes firmly glued to the paper. "Natalie, just because Keith is living here does not mean it is acceptable for you to be sharing the same bed. That is only reserved for when you are married."

"But, Mom—"

"Natalie, you and Keith are still young adults. You guys are taking things way _too _fast."

Natalie huffed. "We just slept in the same bed, Mom. It's not a crime."

Caroline glared. "You're too young for this, Natalie," she said, shaking her head.

"For what?" she asked perturbed.

"Sex!"

Zach walked in as Caroline spoke this, and upon hearing the word, his face turned to a grimace and walked back out.

"Wait, Zach!" Pete called, getting up so quickly his chair almost fell over. "Weren't you going to show me that thing…" He said, following Zach out of the kitchen.

"Sex? You think Keith and I had sex last night?" asked Natalie, once her father was out of sight.

"What else would you guys be doing?" her mother exclaimed, clearly distressed.

"He didn't feel well, he asked me to stay with him." He mother only glared, and Natalie lowered her head into her hands. "Oh my god," she muttered. "I can't believe you think we had sex."

"What do you expect me to think?" said her mom. She was getting more hysterical as the conversation went.

She looked up. "Mom, you're not listening to me. He didn't feel well; he just wanted me to stay with him."

Suddenly, Caroline sat down across from Natalie, grabbing her hand. Caroline's face had changed from hysterical to concerned in a matter of seconds. "Honey, I'm not sure you know the risks you're taking when having sex."

"_Mom_," hissed Natalie embarrassed. She wouldn't be surprised if Keith could hear this conversation, and the thought made her blush. "Really, do we have to have this conversation right now?"

"Sweetie, I'm extremely worried. We haven't had this discussion yet, and it's long overdue—I mean you and Keith, had sex, under my roof, last night."

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, Mom. You're being ridiculous. Keith and I did not have sex last night."

"But you've had sex?"

"Good grief, Mom," said Natalie standing up. "I'm not going to have this conversation with you right now. You're not listening to anything I'm saying."

Caroline stood up quickly. "Natalie, I'm just worried at the level you and Keith have taken your relationship."

Natalie turned to leave, shaking her head in embarrassed. She was sure her face was bright red. "I think you, Keith, and I need to have a talk," called Caroline.

"No!" screamed Natalie, walking up the stairs.

Just as she reached the top stair, Caroline called out to her, at one last desperate attempt. "Just—Natalie— if you're going to—at-at least use protection!"

Natalie slammed the door shut to her room, and jumped when she saw Keith sitting on her bed. "What?" she asked clearly annoyed. She had just had the most embarrassing conversation with her mom, and he had just stayed up here, listening? Not coming to her rescue. She glared, crossing her arms across her chest. "You could have come saved me," she said.

Keith was laughing so much that it took him a good five minutes to be able to speak. "That was," he broke out laughing again, "the funniest thing I have ever heard." Tears were in his eyes he was laughing so hard.

"Funny?" started Natalie, "you found _that _funny?"

He nodded. "That," he choked out, "was hilarious."

Natalie glared. "Keith that was the most embarrassing conversation I've ever had with my mom in my entire life." He chuckled, irritating Natalie further. "You know what? Maybe, I will take my mother up on the offer," she stated.

"What offer?" asked Keith worried. His grin quickly fading.

"You know," started Natalie. "You were listening. She thinks she should talk to us. Maybe it _is_ a good idea," pondered Natalie.

Keith eyes grew wide and fearful. "No way," he said, shaking his head back and forth adamantly. "I am _not_ talking to your mom about sex."

"Oh, we'll see about that," said Natalie.

"What is that supposed to mean?" he asked warningly. Natalie just smirked at him before walking into her bathroom, closing the door and locking it. "Natalie, what are you saying?" he asked, his voice fearful.

"You'll see," she called through the door.

He sat there for a few seconds, before he spoke up again. "Hey," he called, smirking. "I guess, when we talk, I can at least tell her we _follow_ her advice. She'll like that, won't she?" he asked, innocently.

"Keith," hissed Natalie, her voice muffled through the door, "just _shut up_."

He broke out into another fit of laughter.

* * *

_**A/N: **__Hope you enjoyed it, please review! My next update, unfortunately, may be a little longer than a week. I have to paint my entire room by the end of the week, so I might not have as much time to write/edit the next chapter. But, I will definitely post it as soon as I can!_

_By the way, just out of curiosity, what were your favorite scenes from _Keith_, the movie?_


	12. Just A Dream

**A/N: **_Thanks for all of your reviews. I appreciate them all so much!_

_

* * *

_

**Chapter Twelve: Just A Dream**

For Natalie, the last weeks of August seemed to fly by. Working at Hooked on Books kept her busy, and she really loved working there. To her, it never really felt like work, it was just some place to go and stop worrying about Keith. Ever since Keith had started getting the higher dose of chemo, he was exhausted more often. He still tried to do stuff with her, but some days, she could tell all he wanted to do was sleep. She knew this bothered him greatly, but she tried to make sure he knew it didn't bother her. She would be lying if she didn't admit that seeing him like this was stressful.

It was Labor Day weekend and her family always barbequed, so she had invited some friends over to celebrate the end of summer. She had just finished placing some chip and dip, a veggie plate, candy, and some soda in the backyard for everyone, when the doorbell rang. Excited, she quickly ran to the door and answered it.

"Trish," said Natalie, grinning, "I thought you were spending time with Robbie's family," she wondered, closing the door behind them.

"He ditched me," she smiled. "Well, both our boyfriends ditched us. Travis isn't coming either," she stated, glancing next to her at Brooke.

"Why?" asked Natalie.

Trish shrugged. "Well, they didn't really ditch us. Robbie got tickets to the Cubs game, and I didn't really want to go so Travis went and I came with Brooke. It all worked out, we can have a girls' day," she smiled. "Keith will just have to suffer," she added.

"So, where is Keith?" asked Brooke hesitantly. Natalie knew she was worried that he was angry with her for the way she had treated him. "He hasn't ditched you, too, has he?"

Natalie shook her head. "Nope, not that I know of. He's actually upstairs. Cynthia and her friends wanted to show him something—we should probably go rescue him." He had been up there for a long time.

Trish and Brooke followed Natalie upstairs. As they were nearing the top, they could hear a bunch of young girls talking adamantly. Natalie stopped at the entry of Cynthia's room quietly to peak in, making sure Keith and the girls didn't notice her presence. Trish and Brooke looked over her shoulder.

Keith was sitting on the floor, and Cynthia and her friends were sitting around him, showing him different Hannah Montana pictures, and explaining their favorite outfit and episode.

A petite girl that Natalie knew as Samantha spoke up. "See, that outfit." She pointed to a picture in the book. "That's my favorite. My mom's making me it for Halloween. What are you going to be for Halloween?" she asked, taking her gaze away from the book to look at Keith.

"Oh, um—"

"He's going as Jesse McCartney," broke in Cynthia. "From "When You Wish You Were the Star" episode, remember?" Her friends nodded. "Well, he looks a lot like him, so we're just going to get him a blonde wig."

At this Trish laughed, causing their presence to be know. Everyone glanced at her and she choked out. "You'll have to take pictures." Keith glared at her before turning his gaze towards Natalie.

"Partner," said Keith, relief shining in his eyes, "Cynthia was just showing me her Hannah Montana stuff." Natalie could sense the boredom in his voice, but Cynthia and her friends didn't seem to notice.

"Haven't you already shown him that stuff like eight times?" asked Natalie, carefully walking into the room, making sure she didn't step on any of her Hannah Montana stuff.

"Yes," said Cynthia rolling her eyes. "But, my friends wanted to show him their favorite episodes and stuff."

"I think Keith's had enough Hannah Montana for today," said Natalie.

Cynthia's eyes got wide. "_Enough_ Hannah Montana?" She turned to her friends who at the same looks of shock on their face. "Is that even possible?"

"Yes," said Natalie quickly, getting annoyed. "It is. I put snacks on the table outside, if you girls wanted anything." At this Cynthia and her friends stood up, quickly running out of the room, but Cynthia halted at the door, turning around to face Keith. "Keith, will you run through the sprinklers with us?"

His smiled wavered and Natalie could see exhaustion cross his features instead. Natalie knew he wanted to object, but instead he answered, "Of course."

"Cool. See you in a minute," she yelled, running after her friends.

"Thanks for saving me," said Keith, putting the Hannah Montana books on Cynthia's dresser before turning to face Natalie.

"You know, you're going to have to tell her no one of these days," mentioned Natalie.

"Say no, to Cynthia?" he joked. "Is that even possible? I better get my swimsuit on," he said. "Hey Brooke, Trish," he smiled, glancing at them before making his way out of the room, but a hand grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"Keith?" Brooke asked, hesitantly, letting go of his wrist when she knew she had his attention.

"Yeah?"

"I'm _really_ sorry," she started, looking down at her lap for a few seconds, before looking at his intense gaze. "I just, I was a real bitch. I hope, at some point, you'll forgive me?"

He grinned. "Of course. Don't worry about it, we're cool."

"Are you sure? I mean, I was really rude. I would totally understand if—"

"I forgive you," he stated, turning to leave, but she grabbed his wrist again.

"Are you positive?" she asked, looking into his eyes as if trying to tell if he was telling the truth.

"Do you want me to change my mind?" he asked, smirking.

She let go of his wrist. "No," she smiled. "Not at all."

"Good," he stated. He walked over to Natalie and kissed her on the cheek before leaving.

Brooke glanced at Natalie. "You were right," she smiled. "I _was_ worrying over nothing."

"I told you," said Natalie. "C'mon, let's go outside."

* * *

Natalie spent the rest of the afternoon eating snacks, chatting with Trish and Brooke, and watching Keith run through the sprinklers. At one point, he had slipped on the grass and landed on his butt; Natalie had cracked up for a good ten minutes. Once he realized she was laughing at him, he had walked over to her and hugged her, getting her soaked. She had stopped laughing after that.

The sun was lowering, and it was starting to get chillier when Keith was finally able to sneak away from Cynthia and her friends.

He laid his head on the table, exhaustion clear on his face. "Your sister and her friends have too much energy. I can't keep up."

Natalie smiled at him. "You're too nice for playing with her. Zach never really does."

He lifted his head up, rubbing his face with the palm of his hands before speaking. "I just think he's learned to say no," he grinned, before laying his head on his hands again.

As soon as he closed his eyes, Cynthia walked over to him. "Keith?" He jumped up a little and his eyes snapped open. "What are you doing? You disappeared," she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Sleeping," he indicated.

Cynthia looked confused. "It's not time for bed yet," she stated, as if this was obvious. She grabbed his arm and tried to pull him up, but he didn't budge. "Come back and play with us."

He regretfully lifted his head. "Cynthia, I'm a little tired," he admitted quietly.

She frowned. "But, can't you play just a little longer? Just a little?"

Keith looked thoroughly torn. "I guess—"

Luckily, Pete's voice broke Keith's answer as he walked over to the group of kids. "Hamburgers are ready. Help yourself," he smiled before walking over to where Caroline was sitting.

"Partner," Keith started slowly, looking at Natalie. "You know I love you, right?"

Natalie smirked. "Let me guess, you want me to make your hamburger for you, huh?" she smiled.

"You're the best," he smiled, laying his head on the table and closing his eyes.

She kissed him on the forehead before getting up. "You owe me," she joked.

It got dark just as the finished eating, and cleaning up the backyard. Cynthia and her friends went up to her room, and Natalie's parents went into the den to do some bills. Trish and Brooke had decided to spend the night, so Natalie had grabbed some sleeping bags and snacks and placed them in the living room where they were going to watch some movies.

They had just sat down ready to pick which movie they wanted to watch, when Keith stood up. "Where're you going?" asked Natalie.

He turned around, stumbling a little. For a brief, horrible second Natalie had thought he was going to faint. "Just getting some water. You girls need anything?" he asked, rubbing his forehead with the palm of his hand, a gesture he had been doing for a good part of the evening.

"I'm good," said Brooke.

"Me too," said Trish.

Keith nodded, glancing at Natalie who shook her head. "No thanks," she smiled, but it was forced. She was a little worried about him.

While they were waiting for Keith all three of them looked through the pile of movies to see which one they wanted to watch first. They all decided on _The Notebook_.

"Keith's going to love this," laughed Trish, as she put it in the DVD player. Brooke and Natalie laughed.

A loud crash broke through their laughter, and they all three jumped up, running into the kitchen where the noise had come from. When they entered, Keith was sitting on the ground, picking up pieces of glass.

"Oh shit, are you all right?" asked Brooke.

Keith didn't respond, only proceeded to pick up the pieces of glass. Natalie glanced at Brooke and Trish, and they took it as a sign to leave. Once they left, Natalie knelt down next to Keith, placing her hand gently on his arm.

"Keith, what happened?"

He looked up at her, clearly upset. "I'm really sorry, I'll buy another glass. I just—I got really lightheaded…"

"It's all right, it was just an accident," she looked down, and her eyes grew wide. "Shit, you're bleeding. Put the glass down," she demanded, before gently grabbing his arm at the elbow and leading him to the sink. She turned the water on and placed his hand underneath the cold water.

"It's not bleeding too bad, keep it under there while I get some bandages," ordered Natalie. She walked into the guest bathroom and grabbed the first aid kit from the bottom cabinet. She got some paper towel before turning the water off and gently drying his hand. Quickly, she bandaged it.

"Thanks, Partner," said Keith, bending down and kissing her on the forehead.

"You all right?" she asked, wrapping her arms around him.

"I'm fine," he said.

She glanced up to him, making sure they made eye contact before speaking. "Why were you lightheaded? That worries me."

"It's just because I'm—I'm really tired, it's happened before. It's fine. _I'm_ fine."

"I think you should sit down and rest. I just need to sweep this glass up, and then I'll join you guys, okay?"

He nodded regretfully before walking out of the kitchen. Quickly, Natalie grabbed a broom and swept up the broken glass, before rejoining everyone in the living room.

Keith was sitting on the couch, and once Natalie joined him he moved positions, resting his head on Natalie's lap.

Natalie bent over to look at him. "Comfy?" she asked.

"Very," he smiled, before turning his attention back to the movie. Natalie began to trail her fingers softly up and down Keith's arm.

When the movie ended, Trish and Brooke turned around and stared at Natalie with strange expressions. "What?" asked Natalie.

"He fell asleep," Brooke sighed. "On your lap. That is _so_ cute."

Natalie agreed that it was cute, but her legs were numb, and she wanted to stand up and stretch them. "Think you could help me get up," she asked.

Trish looked at Keith and back up at Natalie. "How're we suppose…"

"Grab that pillow," whispered Natalie, pointing to a small throw pillow that was resting on a chair. Brooke got up and grabbed it, then stood next to Trish, they stared at Keith for a few seconds, not quite sure how to proceed.

"How are we going to do this?" whispered Trish.

Natalie debated for a few seconds. "Um, just lift him up enough for me to get up."

Trish and Brooke looked a bit nervous, before Trish carefully lifted him up, and Natalie was able to stand up. Quickly, Brooke placed the pillow on the couch before Trish laid Keith back down.

They watched him, with bated breath as he turned over. He sighed loudly, but didn't wake. "Phew, that was hard," laughed Trish.

"Thanks for that," said Natalie, grabbing a blanket and throwing it over him. "My legs were getting numb."

"Well," said Brooke, "looks like he's passed out for the night. You girls up for some more chick flicks?" she asked a huge grin on her face.

"Definitely," said Natalie.

* * *

Labor Day weekend slipped by quickly, and Natalie was going to head on over to Hooked on Books for her morning shift after she said goodbye to Keith.

Natalie found him in Zach's room again, playing video games. "Don't tell me you guys stayed all night again," she stated, walking into the room.

Keith shook his head. "No way, Partner. We got _some_ sleep."

She sat next to him on the floor. "Oh, really? How much?"

"About three hours. But this game is addicting, and we need to finish it," Zach answered.

"I think need is the wrong word," added Natalie. "I think want is more like it." Keith and Zach rolled their eyes.

"Hey, man," said Zach, pausing the game and standing up. "I'm going to go make us some more coffee."

"Sweet," said Keith, before turning to look at Natalie. "You going to work?" he asked.

Natalie nodded. "Yup." She leaned up against him. "So, think you could come into today? Meet everyone?"

"Well, um, I'm kind of," he stuttered, "kind of busy."

Natalie laughed, sitting up to look at him. "Doing?"

He licked his lips. "Um…stuff."

Natalie rolled her eyes, before leaning closer towards him. "Well," she whispered, her breath tickling his ear as she ran her fingers through his hair. "If you do decide to come and meet everyone, there might just be something in it for you, later, when I get home…I have some things I'd like to try out…" She trailed her fingers down the side of his face, causing him to close his eyes, before she backed away.

Zach came walking back in just as Natalie backed away. He handed Keith his cup before he sat down. "You all right, man?" he asked, before glancing over to Natalie who tried to look innocent. "What'd you say to him?" he demanded. Natalie just shrugged. "What'd she say to you?"

Keith cleared his throat, scratching the back of his neck. "Oh, um, just…You know…"

"You look kind of weird," he stated, keeping his eyes on Keith.

"Well," smiled Natalie, "I better get going." She leaned over and gave Keith a peck on the cheek. "Remember, offer still stands," she stated nonchalantly, before standing up.

Keith choked on his coffee, and he started coughing. Zach slapped his back. "Man," Natalie heard Zach say. "What the hell just happened?"

Natalie smirked.

* * *

When Natalie arrived at Hooked on Books, Melanie was on the phone, yelling. Quietly, Natalie waited until she got off the phone before speaking. "What's up?" she asked, sitting down in an empty chair.

Melanie rolled her eyes. "Oh, just an irate customer. Wanted to return a book because he spilt coffee on it and now it's ruined. I tried to explain to him that we weren't the ones who spilt it and then he went off on me. Long story short, he's never coming here again." She shrugged.

"That sucks," sighed Natalie.

Melanie smiled. "It happens. According to him, he'll be going to Borders now. I tried to mention that Borders wouldn't take back a book he ruined either…and then he hung up on me," she laughed, shaking her head. "I tell ya, it's phone calls like these that make my job interesting. So, how was your Labor Day?"

"It was really fun," smiled Natalie. "I saw some of my friends who are leaving for college next week."

"You say that kind of sadly, why?" asked Melanie softly.

Natalie sat down in a chair. "I don't know. I'll just miss them, I mean, it's never going to be like high school again," she sighed.

"You're not regretting your decision, are you?"

"What decision?" asked Natalie, glancing up at Melanie.

"Of not going to Duke and staying here with Keith?"

Natalie shook her head adamantly. "Oh no, not at all. Love precedes college in my book," she smiled. "So, where are April and Dawn?"

"They are being lazy and don't want to come in just yet. Seems like ever since I gave you the job they think they can come and go as they please," she stated.

"It's 'cause it's kind of true," admitted Natalie.

Melanie nodded. "You're right—aren't I a great boss?"

"The best," smiled Natalie. "So, what should I do today?"

"Um, there's nothing much to do. I guess just ring up some any customers. April and Dawn should be in within the hour. I'll just finish some paperwork and meet you out there, okay?"

"Sounds good," smiled Natalie, setting her purse down in a corner of the office.

"Oh, Natalie?" spoke up Melanie, Natalie halted and turned around. "When is Keith going to stop by?"

Natalie brightened up at this. "Today, maybe…Well, hopefully. I kind of tried to bribe him into stopping by."

"Are we that scary?" asked Melanie, faking hurt.

Natalie laughed. "Na, I just think he's worried that it's all girls here."

"Should I even ask what you bribed him with?"

"I shouldn't answer that, I mean," Natalie whispered, blushing. "You're my boss," she joked, winking as she left.

* * *

April and Dawn arrived an hour before Natalie's shift was due to end. They looked around the bookstore, with expectant looks on their faces, but when they didn't find what they were looking for, they walked over to Natalie.

"Where is he?" demanded April, placing her hands on her hips.

Natalie wiped the coffee counter before looking up. "Who?"

"Keith!" said Dawn. "Mom called us and said he may stop by, so we came over expecting to meet him."

Natalie laughed. "I don't even know if he's going to come," she sighed, but as she glanced outside, she saw a familiar yellow truck, parking. "Actually, that's him now," she smiled, pointing outside. "With my sister, Cynthia."

Melanie must have heard her, because she quickly walked out of her office to join everyone. April and Dawn sneakily walked over to the window, watching Keith make his way to the store. "You're got yourself quite a catch, Natalie," stated Melanie.

"I have, haven't I?" she smiled. As Keith got closer to the bookstore, he catch sight of April and Dawn staring at him through the windows, he gave the girls curious looks. "Maybe you guys should back away from the window, you're already freaking him out," added Natalie.

"But, we're trying to get a good look at him. We're trying to scope him out before he comes in."

"He can see you, you know," said Melanie.

"Oh, shit, you're right," said April, backing away from the door. Dawn followed suit, blushing.

Natalie watched as Keith hesitantly opened the door, still giving the twins strange looks. Cynthia ran in first, running over to where Natalie was standing. "Natalie, you won't believe what Keith did. He took me to McDonalds and they had the _coolest_ toys for the Kids Meals and he bought eight of them so I could get every toy. Look," she said, taking toys out of her sweater pockets.

"Keith, did you really?" asked Natalie, glancing up to him. He was still standing in the entrance of the door, staring at Natalie's coworkers with a dumfounded expression.

He looked up at Natalie. "They were cute," he said, glancing back to April and Dawn "What exactly are—"

"Oh," broke in Dawn, "we were cleaning the windows…"

"Don't you need stuff to clean windows with?" he questioned.

"Right," said Dawn. "I knew we were forgetting something. Let me just go…" Quickly she ran off, her face bright red.

April wasn't at all fazed at getting caught staring and walked over to Keith. "Finally we get to met you," she smiled.

Keith grinned.

"I'm Melanie, Natalie's boss, and this is April. Dawn is the one who just got all embarrassed at staring at you—but we just had to make sure our Natalie's boyfriend is good-looking or not. And I say we approve, what do you think, April?"

April glanced and Keith, causing him to blush, before she spoke up. "I approve."

At this, Keith blushed, if possible, even more. "I brought you guys something," he smiled, before lifting up four McDonalds Kids Meals. Natalie hadn't even noticed him carrying them.

"McDonalds?" said April. "No way. This is great," she said, grabbing one of the four Kids Meals. "You're the best," she added.

Melanie grabbed a Kids Meal just as Dawn walked back in, arms loaded with cleaning supplies. "Do I smell McDonalds?" she asked.

"Yup, Keith brought it," said April. "Don't bother with the windows, Keith already knows we were staring.."

"Oh," blushed Dawn, "Well, what're you gonna do? We've been dying to meet you for weeks. Can I have this Kids Meal?" she asked, glancing at the last one.

"Yeah," said Natalie, taking a bite of her hamburger. "Keith's already had—"

"Three," he smirked.

"Oh, brother," said Natalie rolling her eyes. "Sometimes, I swear, he _never_ stops eating."

Dawn unwrapped her burger, before glancing at Keith. "So, where've you been? It's taken you too long to stop by."

"I've been busy," he lied, scratching the back of his neck in nervousness.

"Doing?" prompted April. Keith turned to look at her.

Keith looked lost for words, but luckily at that moment Cynthia came running over to Natalie, a book in her hand. "Natalie, oh my god, they have a new Hannah Montana book—can I get it? Please?"

Natalie rolled her eyes at her sister, leaning against the counter. "No," she stated, not even glancing at the book.

Cynthia frowned. "Why not?"

Natalie looked at Cynthia. "Because you already have enough Hannah Montana stuff. I'm sick of it."

Cynthia glared at Natalie before turning to Keith. "Keith? Can I get this?"

Keith looked at a loss for words again, before he glanced back at Natalie, who had a stern look on her face, daring him to say no. He glanced back to Cynthia who was looking at him through her lashes with puppy dog eyes.

He weighed his options. "Um, well, I'm not sure…" Cynthia pouted. "Erm…I guess that it'd be okay," he answered hesitantly. Cynthia grinned, hugged him quickly before going to a corner to read her book.

Natalie threw her hands up in frustration. "Keith, this is getting ridiculous. You _need_ to learn to say no."

Keith immediately deflected the argument by commenting, "I really like this store; I like how it's organized."

Natalie frowned and muttered under her breath so only Keith could hear. "This isn't over."

"Thanks," smiled Melanie. "This store is my baby."

Dawn huffed. "What about us?"

Melanie glanced over. "Oh, right. In that case…" She glanced around her store. "Nope, it's still my baby."

Dawn and April glared.

Natalie and Keith laughed, and then their eyes finally met and Natalie narrowed her eyes into a glare.

"I guess that means I'm not forgiven," Keith said slowly. He angled his body forwards and seductively ran a finger down her arm, making goosebumps appear. "I hope this doesn't mean that our agreement is broken. Afterall, I _did _fulfill my side of the deal," he said in a whisper that only Natalie could hear.

Natalie flushed red and leaned ever-so-slightly into Keith. "I missed you," she whispered.

"I missed you. When do you get off?" His eyes reached hers and in a low husky voice he added, "I can't wait for you to make good on your end of the bargain…I'm wondering what you have planned."

"In about an hour."

"Well, I better get going. I need to work on my truck." He kissed her on the lips.

"Gosh, you guys are perfect for each other," swooned Melanie. "I just hope everything....That everything works out."

"What do you mean?" snapped Keith. Natalie gave Melanie a piercing stare.

"Oh, nothing. Young love," she stuttered. "Never know what could happen."

Keith abruptly pulled away from Natalie. "Cynthia, let's go," Keith called. Cynthia ran over to him, book in hand and Keith quickly grabbed a ten dollar bill from his wallet and slammed the bill on the counter. "Nice to meet you girls," he said curtly.

"Bye," said Cynthia, waving at them.

"Oh, and Keith? Make sure Natalie doesn't forget about the bribe, okay?" winked Melanie.

His face turned bright red and he nodded jerkily before exiting. "You know Natalie," started Melanie once Keith exited. "I think you should bribe Keith more often, then we could get McDonalds every day. That would be great."

* * *

When Natalie arrived home, Keith was working on his truck. She parked in the driveway before walking down to where he was.

He was underneath his truck, making Natalie a bit concerned. She wondered if cars driving by could even see him. She knelt down, glancing underneath the truck, he still hadn't noticed her. "Hey," she smiled. He stayed silent. "Keith?"

"What?' he hissed.

Natalie backed up at the venom in his voice. "Um, I was just saying hi. Are you okay? You acted a little strange at the store…"

Silence.

Natalie sighed loudly, waiting for him to come out from underneath his truck to talk to her, but he never did. She thought about walking away, leaving him alone for a while, but she couldn't. "Keith?"

At this, he finally appeared. "What do you want?" he sighed, running a hand through his messy hair, making sure not to look at her. "I'm kind of busy."

"I'm just worried. Are you okay?" asked Natalie, trying to glance into his eyes, but he wouldn't look at her.

"No."

Natalie frowned. "Oh, what's wrong? Are you not feeling well?"

"I feel fine," he replied sarcastically and Natalie felt her heart skip a beat at his coldness.

"Oh," she lowered her gaze to the ground. "Did I—Did I do something?"

He glanced over to her quickly, but then averted his gaze back to his lap. "Yes," he stated.

"What?" she asked quickly.

He turned to look at her. "You told them, didn't you?"

"Told who what?" she asked, voice shaking. She couldn't understand what she had done to make him so upset at her.

"Everyone at your work. You told them I have cancer, didn't you?" He stood up, glancing at her expectantly for an answer.

Natalie stood up as well. "Um, well, I—"

"Well, did you?"

She sighed, feeling tears build behind her eyes. "Maybe, I guess. I'm sorry; I didn't know you didn't want me to tell them."

"Do you think I want you to tell everyone about my problems?"

"Keith," sighed Natalie, "I wouldn't call cancer a problem-"

"Well, that's what I call it, okay?"

Natalie took a step closer to him, attempting to grab his arm but he stepped away from her. Natalie felt her heart sink to her stomach. "I'm so sorry," she sniffed. "I guess I wasn't thinking—I didn't mean—"

"I hate this." His eyes narrowed in anger. "Now everyone is going to look at me like I'm some weak…Who can't even—"

"Keith, just because you have cancer doesn't make you weak." He glared at her. "Is that what you really think?"

"It's what everyone thinks. You don't notice the stares, the looks that _I_ get from people. Once they find out they treat _me_ differently, look at _me_ differently. It's like they think _I_ just might collapse and die right in front of them. It's either that or pity. I hate it. I _hate_ the pity."

Natalie's tears ceased and a sudden anger gripped her. She didn't know where she got the courage, but she finally hissed, "You may be the one who has cancer but we're still in this together and not everything is about _you_. I am always stepping on eggshells trying to make sure _you're_ all right or _you _don't get your feelings hurt. I'm always thinking about _you_. But at the risk of sounding like a hypocrite what about me? Maybe I need someone to talk to, someone to help _me_ cope."

"And that gives you the right to tell everyone?" Keith hissed back.

"I haven't told everyone, Keith. But what do you expect me to do? Don't you think people wonder why I was Valedictorian but am not going to college?" she argued.

The anger in his eyes quickly vanished to sadness, and Natalie instantly regretted what she had just said. "I never wanted—I don't want to be the reason that you aren't going to college," he murmured.

"Shit, that's not what I meant." He stepped around her and opened the door to his truck. "Keith, I'm sorry, that came out wrong. I don't blame me not going to college on—"

He whipped around to face her, interrupting her. "So whenever someone asks you why you aren't going to college, you blame it on the fact that your boyfriend has cancer?" he snarled.

Natalie brought a hand up to shield her tears. "No," she shook her head. "I never meant it to be like that, really…It just came out wrong," she whispered, furiously blinking back tears.

"I already feel like shit that you've had to stop living your dreams because I have cancer. I think about it every goddamn day, when you're just sitting around the house doing nothing, when I know you could be getting ready to go to Duke. Doing something with your life. This isn't how a relationship is suppose to be, I'm not supposed to be holding you back," he muttered sadly and Natalie thought she saw tears building behind his eyes.

"You aren't holding me back, you've—"

"But I am," he muttered. "I am," he sighed before, getting into his truck.

"Where are you going?" asked Natalie, worried.

"I just—I need to think."

"About what?" asked Natalie, voice shaking "Us?" He shrugged. "What does that mean?" she asked, biting back a sob.

"Partner, I hate holding you back. I hate it. It makes me feel like the worse boyfriend."

"But you're the best boyfriend," she whispered. "You're my best friend. I don't care… I just know that I love you and I want to be with you."

He squeezed his eyes shut. "I'm sorry," he whispered, starting his truck. "I love you, okay?"

"When are you coming back?" He shrugged. "_Are_ you coming back?" she whispered.

He brought his hand to linger on her face. His caught her gaze for a second, before he snapped his gaze away. "Bye, Partner," he whispered, before closing his door and driving away.

Tears streaming down Natalie's face, she stood there, watching him drive away, but too soon, he was gone.

She just hoped he was coming back.

* * *

_Natalie watched as a raindrop hit the window, making a big dot, before sliding down the glass._

_ It reminded Natalie of tears—the rain—it was mocking her._

_ "Natalie? Natalie?" a voice called, she lifted her head up sadly at the voice. It was Dr. Normandy._

_ "Yeah?" she whispered._

_ "Do you understand what I'm telling you?"_

_ She nodded, squeezing her eyes tightly. "Yeah," she whispered. "He's gone," she choked out. She didn't need to know the details. He was gone, and that was all she needed to know._

_ "I'm so sorry. I thought the chemo was going to work. I thought he was going to live. I thought he was going to beat it."_

_ "But he didn't," she whispered. She glanced back at the window, watching the rain continue to fall, to continue mocking her._

_ "I'm so sorry. He was—he was an amazing guy."_

_ Natalie nodded, not breaking her gaze from the window. "Yeah, he was. He was perfect."_

_ Dr. Normandy attempted to grab her hand, but she pulled it away. She didn't want comfort. The only comfort she wanted was Keith's warm embrace, but she was never going to get that. _

_ Ever again._

_ "He wouldn't want you to mourn. He'd want you to think of all the happy times you guys—"_

_ She broke her gaze from the window to glare at him. "How would you know what he'd want? You were just his doctor. You don't know him. I knew him. I am—was—," she cried, "in love with him. You don't know the pain I'm going through. You just…don't."_

_ She could tell the pain her words had caused him, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She turned her gaze back to the rain._

_ She wouldn't cry._

_ Dr. Normandy cleared his throat before speaking. "If you need anything, _anything_, just someone to talk to, call me, okay?" She heard him stand up and leave, but didn't break her gaze from the window._

_ As soon as the door closed, the tears finally fell. The rain couldn't mock her anymore._

"Keith! Keith!" screamed Natalie, tossing back and forth in her bed. "Don't be gone. You can't leave me," she whimpered.

Strong arms grabbed her, trying to stop her trashing. A soothing voice called to her. "Natalie, wake up. It's okay; it's okay." She was confused. She didn't want to wake up because Keith was gone, and without him there was no reason to…She squeezed her eyes tighter.

She just wanted to go back asleep, she wasn't ready to face the truth—that her nightmare _was_ true. "Natalie please wake up," the soothing voice spoke again. Her mom.

"What's wrong with her? Why is she crying?" another voice asked, and Natalie recognized it instantly as her dad's.

"Isn't it obvious? She's had a nightmare," her mom stated. Was her mom telling the truth—did she just have a nightmare? Had it really not been true? Was Keith still alive, here, with her?

"Keith," she cried, squeezing her eyes tighter, she felt tears slide down her cheeks. As much as she hoped it was just a dream; she wasn't willing to open her eyes and find out.

She blocked out the voices of her mom and dad—she didn't want to listen to what they were saying, just in case they mentioned…Him.

She just wanted to fall back asleep, forget about all of this.

It couldn't have been more than five minutes later that she felt someone sit next to her on her bed. The person wrapped their arms around her and she smelt the familiar scent of Keith.

Was she dreaming? Had she fallen back asleep?

"Partner. " _Keith's voice._ "Wake up. It's okay. It was _just_ a dream."

Those were the words she wanted to hear so desperately, but didn't know if she could believe them. "Keith?" she whispered, in spite of her worries. She couldn't help herself.

"It's me, I'm here. Everything's okay. It was just a dream," he soothed.

His words were so full of honesty that she turned over and opened her eyes. And he was there, his eyes staring at her with concern. "Am I dreaming?" she whispered.

"No, you're not dreaming."

"So, you're not dead?" she asked. His expression turned from worry to sadness.

"No, I'm not dead." He moved, and Natalie thinking he was getting up to leave grabbed the bottom of his shirt tightly.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly.

"Don't leave," she cried, tears falling. "Please, _stay_."

"I'm not leaving. I wasn't planning on leaving. Just go back to sleep. Everything's okay."

Natalie snuggled up to him as close as she could possibly get. She laid her head next to his, so closely that their foreheads were touching. "Are you still mad?" she whispered, staring into his green eyes.

"I was never mad," he stated, gently running his fingers through her hair, attempting to calm her down. It was working.

"But you left."

"I know." His voice cracked. "I'm so sorry. I just, I had a lot to think about."

"I'm sorry I told them. I didn't mean to."

"Shhh…" he soothed. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"I didn't think you were going to come back."

"I will _always_ come back. You're stuck with me. You understand? I'm right here, with you—where I belong."

She clung to him tightly.

* * *

The next morning, Natalie woke, head resting on Keith's chest. She stayed there for a few minutes, just listening to his heart beating, and the feel of the steady rise and fall of his chest.

He was so _alive_.

Carefully, as not to wake him, she got out of bed and made her way downstairs to the kitchen. She was glad her parents were at work, she didn't really want to talk about what happened last night. It was too embarrassing.

Just as she sat down with a cup of coffee to glance at the newspaper, the phone rang. "Hello?" she answered.

"Natalie, good morning. It's Henry. I was just calling to talk to my son. He left me a voicemail last night, but I was at work. He sounded really upset."

She opened the newspaper, glancing at the headlines, trying to see if anything caught her attention enough to read it. "He's still asleep," she sighed, figuring that their fight was the reason for his call. "Want me to wake him up?"

"Figures," chucked Henry. "Don't wake him up. He's okay though, right?"

"Yeah, I guess. We just kind of got into a fight, is all."

"Ah," said Henry, "I see. Mind me asking what it was about?"

Natalie frowned a bit, not wanting to remember the fight they had yesterday. "Well, he got upset that I told the people I work with that he had cancer. Then…I dunno what happened he got more upset because for some crazy reason he thinks he's holding me back." She blinked back tears. "I never wanted him to think that. It's not true. I just—"

"Natalie," said Henry softly. "Don't worry about him. He'll just have to get over it." He chuckled. "When he was first diagonosed with leukemia, I took off work a lot and he even felt bad about that. He just," He took a deep breath, "sometimes I don't think he thinks he's worth it."

"But he is," smiled Natalie.

"He is. Don't let it worry you, okay?" soothed Henry.

Natalie smiled. "I won't. So, how's your job going?"

"It's going really, really well. Thanks for asking. I heard that you got a job, congratulations. Do you like it?"

"I love it. My boss is pretty hilarious. It's perfect for me," she said, turning another page of the newspaper.

"That's great, Keith was really happy for you."

"Yeah," smiled Natalie, remembering Keith's reaction. "He was."

"Speaking of Keith, how is he doing with the chemo? It's best I ask his girlfriend, you'll tell me more than him."

"He's doing great. He seems to be more tired lately, but other than that's he's doing really, really well."

"It's all because of you," said Henry. Natalie blushed.

"I wouldn't say that."

"Well," laughed Henry. "It's true." Natalie was about to reply to him, when something in the paper caught her eye. "Natalie, you there?"

She shook her head to get out of her daze, not keeping her eyes off the ad in the paper. "Yeah, I'm here."

"Everything okay?" he asked.

Natalie read through the ad again, a smile growing on her face. "Yes," she grinned. "Everything's great."

* * *

**A/N: **_Hope you enjoyed it; please review!_


	13. The Way I Love You

**A/N: **_I am so sorry for the delay in posting. I moved this past week, and didn't realize it would take a long as it did. I'm going to try my hardest to get the next chapter out by the end of this week; if not, definitely be early next week._

_Thanks again for all of your review; they mean a lot to me!_

_

* * *

_

**Chapter Thirteen: The Way I Love You**

It was one of those days—one of those days where Keith was just too exhausted to even get out of bed. Natalie hated seeing him like this, but Dr. Normandy always pressed that he'd have good days and bad days.

This was a bad day.

She could tell because he hadn't woken up yet, and she let him sleep. But by the time it got near two in the afternoon, she knew he needed to wake up and eat something.

She decided to let him sleep a little bit longer, and walked into her mom's room. Caroline was sitting in her bed, typing furiously on her laptop. "Hey, Mom," she said sweetly as she sat her bed next to her. "What're you doing?"

"Just doing some work from home. I decided to leave early and do it here; sometimes there are just too many distractions at work."

Natalie watched her work for a while before softly speaking. "So, did you think about what you and I talked about?" At this, Caroline turned her gaze away from the computer and glanced at Natalie.

"Yes," she said sullenly, "I did."

"And?"

"I suppose you and Keith are old enough to go somewhere by yourselves."

Natalie grinned. "Don't worry, Mom, everything will be fine," she gushed. "Keith's going to be _so_ happy."

Caroline nodded. "He will. I think it'll do him some good to get away for awhile, but I only have one restriction."

"What?"

"You have to get a hotel room with two twin beds. You never know what could happen if you get a full or a queen, I just don't think you and Keith—"

"Okay, Mom," said Natalie quickly, hoping her mom would stop talking. "I'll do that. I'll get two twin beds," she said, making sure she sounded serious.

"Okay, that's all I'm worried about. You guys have fun. How's he doing today? I didn't see him when I came home."

Natalie shrugged. "He's been sleeping all day. I'm going to wake him up, Dr. Normandy said that he needs to eat as much as possible, and I don't think he's had anything to eat all day."

"Well, you better go check on him. Let me know if he needs anything," she stated, before turning back to her work.

"Thanks, Mom," she grinned before running out. She was glad her mom finally decided that she and Keith could take a trip. Ever since she had seen that ad in the newspaper she had been begging her mom to let her and Keith go down to Chicago for two nights.

Quietly, she opened the door to Keith's room and sat down on the bed and watched him sleep for a while—she didn't know why she loved watching him so much. Maybe it had to do with the fact that she could see him breathing.

"Keith," she finally called, softly, but he didn't budge. "Keith," she called a bit louder. This time he rolled onto his back, but didn't open his eyes. Natalie leaned up to him, and whispered into his ear, "Partner."

Finally, he slowly opened his eyes, and when he spotted Natalie a grin appeared on his face. "Hey, there," he said, his voice still laced with sleep.

"How're you today? You haven't gotten up yet," she said casually, making sure she didn't sound accusatory.

"What time is it?" he asked, sitting up and rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hand.

"It just turned two."

"Two?" he exclaimed, his eyes becoming wide. "I didn't mean to sleep that long. I hate when I—"

She cut him off. "Hey, don't worry about it, you're fine. Obviously you must be exhausted." He shrugged. "Do you feel okay?"

"I'm just exhausted, other than that I feel fine," he admitted quietly. "I hate this," he whispered quietly.

"Hey, it's okay. Remember what Dr. Normandy said—"

"That I'll have good and bad days, I know." He rolled his eyes, but then yawned.

"You want to sleep more?" Reluctantly, he nodded. "I'm going to make you something eat, okay?"

"I'm not really hungry," he muttered, eyes closed. He looked to be falling asleep already.

"You don't have to eat a lot; you haven't eaten anything all day."

"I know," he muttered sleepily.

Natalie kissed him on the forehead. "You sleep now; I'll bring it up here, okay?"

"Uh huh," he mumbled.

Natalie went into the kitchen and quickly made some instant mashed potatoes, she figured it was the easiest to make considering she didn't really know if he was going to eat that much anyway.

As soon as she walked into his room, he opened his eyes and sat up, leaning up against the headboard. "Here you go," she said, handing him the bowl.

"Thanks," he smiled, taking a small spoonful. Natalie grabbed the remote to the television and quickly turned it on. Natalie was flipping through stations, before Keith spoke up. "Hey, stop here, this is a great movie."

"What is it?" wondered Natalie, glancing at him.

"_Final Destination_," he said, at her blank look he added, "It's great. You'll love it—it's only just started, too."

They watched the movie—which Natalie thought was a bit freaky—while Keith ate his food. He placed the bowl on his nightstand once he was done, and laid back down on his pillow, eyes still glued to the screen.

"Better?" asked Natalie.

"Yup," he grinned. "It was really good, as always."

"I see you ate it all, and you told me you weren't hungry," she joked.

He laughed. "Maybe I was hungrier that I thought," he said, yawing again.

"You can go back to sleep if you want," she stated, grabbing his comforter and covering them both with it.

"I'm not tired," he lied.

"Don't lie," she stated her tone playful.

"But, I want you to _stay_," he pleaded.

"I'll stay, okay? I wanna watch the rest of this move anyway."

"If you're sure…"

"Positive. Now, _be_ quiet, I can't hear the movie." He laughed as he got comfortable and closed his eyes. Right before he was about to fall asleep, Natalie leaned over him and whispered into his ear. "By the way, I have a surprise for you."

"Huh?" he mumbled.

"A surprise. We're going somewhere," she stated casually, keeping her eyes glued to the television.

At this, his eyes snapped open, excited. "Where? When?"

"In two days, on Friday. We're leaving on Friday night after I get off of work."

"Really?" he asked.

"Yup." She finally looked glanced at him.

"What're we going to do?"

"Can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because then it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?"

He glared at her, but the grin on his face said otherwise. "You really like surprises, don't you?"

"Me?" she said innocently. "That's all I'm telling you, so go to sleep so I can watch this movie."

"Fine, but do you really think you'll be able to _not_ tell me for two whole days?"

She nodded. "Yup," she said, but her voice hinted at her uncertainty.

"Okay," he smirked. "If you really think so."

"Oh, I _really_ do."

* * *

Two days later, Natalie still hadn't told Keith the surprise—which she was quite shocked about. He had been bugging her about it ever since she had told him, and sometimes, he just looked so cute begging that she wanted to tell him what it was they were doing.

But she never did.

Currently, she was at Hooked on Books, and only had another hour before her shift ended, then she and Keith would be on their way. Natalie just finished ringing up a customer who had bought about ten books on plants, when Melanie walked over and sat on the table next to the register.

"Natalie, you know I'm your boss, right?" she stated simply.

"Yes," said Natalie slowly, glancing at Melanie, who caught her gaze.

"And that I can fire you if you don't do as I say?"

"Yes…"

"Good, I'm glad we have that covered. So, that means when I tell you—not ask you—to come to my party on October 1st, you'll come?"

Natalie laughed, as she put away a few random things that were sitting on the counter. "I guess I have no choice."

"Exactly," she stated, clapping her hands together in delight. "It'll be great."

"What exactly is this party for?" she asked.

"Oh, just to celebrate the month of October," she stated, just as April walked in.

"If Mom can have an excuse to have a party, she will," stated April, making her way over to them.

"I see," laughed Natalie. "I'll definitely come. It sounds fun."

Melanie jumped off the counter. "Great, oh, and don't forget Keith has to come."

Natalie looked hesitant. "I'm not sure if he'll—"

"Your job in on the line, missy, remember that," she stated, shaking her finger at Natalie.

"Okay, I'll let him know," stated Natalie. This satisfied Melanie, and she walked into her office.

"I think your Mom is blackmailing me…" mused Natalie.

April jumped on the counter where her mom just was. "Sounds like her. Don't worry; she always throws really fun parties. Anyways, I have a quiz I want you to do."

"What kind of quiz?" asked Natalie hesitantly

"Oh, just this random one I found in this magazine." April held the magazine up for Natalie to see.

"You bought _Tiger Beat_? Aren't you a little old for that?" stated Natalie.

April shrugged. "Not when there are pictures of Zac Efron in them. As long as they keep printing these pictures, I'll keep buying. I have told you of my obsession with Zac, right?"

Natalie nodded. "Yes, many times."

April nodded. "That's good, 'cause him and I are going to get married."

"And he knows this?"

April frowned. "Not necessarily. He will one day."

"You're optimistic," stated Natalie, as she leaned up against the counter to glance at the magazine, but April scooted away. "Hey, I wanted to—"

"You can't look at the quiz or you'll try to answer towards the end you want. Fair?"

"Fair enough. I get to look at the magazine after, though."

"I thought you said it was too young for you."

Natalie blushed. "So? Doesn't mean I don't want to look at it."

April rolled her eyes, before grabbing a pen and getting comfortable. "Okay, question one—"

"Wait—what is this quiz for?"

"What do you mean?" asked April dumbly.

"What's the quiz called?" said Natalie.

"Oh," giggled April. "It's called 'What Kind of Relationship Are You In?"

"Cool," said Natalie. "Ask away."

April tapped the pen on the magazine, which was on her lap. "Okay, question one—Are you and your boyfriend in love? Yes or no?"

"Yes," answered Natalie quickly. April raised her eyebrows at the quickness of her answer. "What? I love him, is that a crime?" argued Natalie.

April shook her head. "No, not at all. I think it's sweet," she commented while marking Natalie's answer. "Okay, question two—would you do anything for your boyfriend? Yes or no?"

"Absolutely," stated Natalie.

"God, you're so lucky," said April. "I'm so jealous."

"What do you mean?"

"Your relationship—it's so perfect."

Natalie laughed. "It's far from perfect, but it works."

"Plus," whispered April lowering her voice, "Keith is pretty darn hot!"

"That he is—c'mon question three!"

"Okay, okay, geez, you're really into this for someone who thought this was for little kids. Question three—are you and your boyfriend spontaneous? Yes or no?"

"Well, sometimes, I guess…"

"What would that be yes or no?" said April in a sing-song voice.

"Yes, I guess." She shrugged. They weren't always spontaneous, but there were sometimes so yes seemed like the best answer.

April marked the quiz before continuing. "Okay, next question—how do you and your boyfriend feel about PDA? Yes, definitely, or no never."

"Yes, definitely, what's wrong with kissing in public?"

"Nothing," confirmed April. "Okay, you're all done, let me just score this."

"Only four questions?"

April nodded. "It _is_ a teen magazine."

Natalie shrugged. "Guess you're right."

A few minutes later, April cleared her throat. "Ready for the verdict?"

Natalie nodded. "Yup, what kind of relationship _am_ I in?"

"Fearless," stated April. She glanced down at the quiz and read. "You're in a fearless relationship, you don't let other people tell you guys what to do—and you live for the moment. You both know you love each other, and are willing to do anything for each other. Your love I simply put fearless."

"Wow," said Natalie. "They got that by me answering only four questions?"

"Don't question the makers of _Tiger Beat,_ okay?"

"So, fearless?" said Natalie.

"Yeah," April nodded. "Fearless, how's that sound?"

"It's _perfect_."

* * *

When Natalie got home from work, Keith was already sitting in the living room, his bag next to the door.

"Anxious?" asked Natalie.

He quickly turned his gaze from the television his eyes shining with excitement. "I thought you'd never get off!" he exclaimed.

Natalie laughed. "I can see you're excited." She loved seeing him happy like this—she wished he always wore the grin he had on his face right now.

"Can we go?" he wondered, turning the television off and standing up.

"Yes, you wanna put the bags in your truck and I'll change?"

"My truck?"

"Yes, your truck," she stated, while making her way up the stairs. "Oh, and I'm driving."

He followed her. "Driving? You? My truck?"

She stopped at the top of the stairs. "Yes, I'm _driving_. Is that a problem?"

"Do you even know how to drive a truck?"

"Oh, Keith, really. I'm not stupid," she huffed, walking into her room. When, she went to close the door, Keith walk about to walk in, she stopped him from entering.

"Hey," he exclaimed as she starting closing the door on him.

"Go pack," she stated. "Don't worry. I won't hurt your Honeybuns," she joked. "Now, I gotta change." She kissed him before leaving a still doubtful Keith standing there.

It didn't take Natalie long to change. She quickly threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and put her hair in a loose ponytail. When she walked downstairs, her mom was standing next to Keith, looking a bit nervous.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come, Natalie?"

"I'm positive. I think we can handle it," she stated seriously.

Caroline looked like she wanted to argue, but decided against it and instead replied, "So, you guys all ready?"

"Yup," said Keith. "I just finished putting everything into my truck." At this, Natalie glanced at Keith expectantly, and he regretfully handed over his set of car keys.

"You're the _only _person that has the privilege to drive Honeybuns, other than me of course," he whispered.

Natalie leaned up to him. "I'm glad to receive such an amazing privilege." She leaned up close to him, wanting to kiss his lips, but her mom cleared her throat, causing Natalie to back away from Keith abruptly.

"So, Natalie," started Caroline. "You did get the hotel room with the two twin beds, right?"

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Of course, Mom. Would I lie?" she said innocently.

Caroline wrung her hand together nervously. "Of course you wouldn't," she said, but didn't sound so certain. "Well, it's getting dark out so you guys should get going. Keith, you have your medicine packed, right?"

"Yup, I have everything."

"Okay, remember what we talked about."

"If I don't feel well to _tell_ Natalie and to _listen _to what she tells me, I got it," he grinned, even though a tiny blush was growing on his cheeks. He turned to Natalie, and was about to say something, but Cynthia entered the room, running to Keith.

"Here you go," she said, handing him something.

"For me?" he asked, grinning. She nodded.

"Yup, it's for when you're in the truck and driving and get bored, okay?"

"Is this a Hannah Montana CD?" he asked, glancing at Cynthia.

She nodded energetically."Yup, you have to tell me which song in your favorite, okay?"

"I promise. Are you sure you can part with this for two days?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Sometimes, you have to make sacrifices, you know?" she stated. "Bye, have fun," she said before quickly walking back up to her room.

"Sometimes I think she's too smart for her own good," said Caroline.

"Yeah," agreed Natalie. "Bye, Mom," she said. Caroline walked over and hugged her tightly. "We'll be fine."

Caroline gave Keith a quick hugged, which Natalie could tell he was surprised at. "Bye," he grinned.

They walked to the truck, and thankfully Caroline didn't come running out again. Natalie started the truck, and began driving away. Finally, they were free. Once she merged on the highway, and Keith was more relaxed with her driving, he turned to her."So, did you really get a room with two twin beds?"

She glanced at him quickly, rolling her eyes. "Of course not, silly."

* * *

It had only taken Natalie three hours to get to the Bed and Breakfast, but they still didn't arrive until late. Once they had gotten in to their room, they had ordered a pizza. Natalie was in the bathroom, getting ready for bed, while Keith was lying on their bed, watching television, half-asleep.

But, Natalie wasn't quite ready to go to sleep yet. She hadn't held up her end of their bribe yet, and figured that this was the best place and time to do it. Especially, since Keith wouldn't see it coming.

"Partner," she heard him call. "What is taking you _so_ long?"

"Chill out," she called, trying to hold back a grin.

"Well hurry up, I'm bored," he whined.

"You won't be _bored_ for long," she muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing."

She finished getting ready, before opening the bathroom door, when Keith glanced up at her, his eyes widened. "What are _you_ wearing?" he choked out, sitting up.

"Oh, this old thing?" He nodded as she fingered the lacy fabric. "It's linger—"Before she had the chance to finish Keith had already gotten up and crashed his lips onto hers.

"I know what it is," he growled in between kisses.

"Well, do you like it?" she breathed.

"Uh huh," he breathed, not breaking away from the kiss this time.

He maneuvered them both so they were on the bed. He glanced down at her. "You're so beautiful, you know that?"

"Keith!"

"What?"

"You're going to make me blush," she argued.

He gave her his famous lopsided grin. "Good. I wonder if you blush _everywhere_." She glared. "You're so cute when you're angry," Keith continued.

"I don't really want to be cute right now," she argued.

"You don't? What do you _want_ to be?"

"Sexy, hot…" she trailed off.

"You _are_ sexy and hot," he breathed. She grinned against his lips.

"So, you like it? I had to keep up by end of the deal somehow," she grinned.

"Like it? I love it," he stated, but then lowered his voice his whispered, "But I'd _like_ it better off."

* * *

For the first time, Natalie didn't have a hard time waking Keith up. He seemed too excited to sleep, and had woken up before their alarm clock.

"Can I know what we're doing today?" he asked, as they walked downstairs for breakfast.

"No."

"Why not?" he begged. "Today _is_ the day," he stated as they walked in the same room where a bunch of people were eating breakfast.

"Exactly," said Natalie, grabbing a plate and placing some fruit on it. Keith did the same. "So, another hour won't kill you."

He frowned at her, but then his eyes lit up, excited. "What?"

"They have a waffle maker," he said, handing her his plate of fruit.

"A what?" she asked, following him. He was standing in front of a strange looking contraption that Natalie had never seen before.

"Want one?" he asked, turning to look at her, grin still on his face.

"What?"

He huffed. "A waffle, silly."

She smiled. "Sure. How do you do it?"

"Just watch and learn."

She did. He dumped a ladle in a container of what looked like pancake batter, and then placed it on the waffle device. Once the batter filled all the holes that made the waffle shape, he grabbed the handle close it and turned it around.

"Now, we wait."

"How long?" she asked.

He pointed to a timer that was attached to the waffle maker."Every time someone turns it, the timer starts."

"Wow, that's really cool."

"I know. When I was younger, my Mom and I use to always make waffles whenever we stayed at a hotel. It was like a tradition or something," he mused. The timer went off, and he opened the waffle maker back up, and stuck a fork in it. A perfect waffle the size of a large plate was done.

"Wow, looks perfect," she stated, glancing at the golden brown waffle.

"It's all yours," he stated, placing it on an empty plate. "I'll make another one. Go put syrup on it and stuff," he stated, kissing her before she walked away.

Natalie found a place to sit first, dropping off their plates of fruit before decorating her waffle. She liked it simple and just put some butter and syrup on it. After she finished, she got two cups of coffee. Once she was done, Keith was already at their table.

"Is there even a waffle under all that?" joked Natalie, setting his coffee in front of him.

"Of course," he stated. "Doesn't it look good?" he grinned.

"What did you put on it?" she asked, cutting up her waffle and taking a bite.

"Whip cream, strawberries, butter, and syrup," he grinned before taking a huge bite of his.

Natalie swallowed before answering. "You know, it really amazes me how much you can eat."

"I'm a guy," he stated as if this explained everything. Maybe it did.

Just as they were finishing up, the owner of the Bed and Breakfast, Julia, walked over to them. "Enjoying your stay?" she stated nervously. They both nodded. Natalie realized that she wouldn't look either of them in the eyes. "Good. Well, have a nice day you two."

"That was weird," said Keith, taking a sip of his coffee.

Natalie nodded before a horrible thought struck her. "You don't think she could hear last night…"

Keith rolled his eyes. "And you're point?"

"Well, it's…we're...she—"

"Partner, we are paying to stay in that room. Meaning, we can do _anything_ in that room we want," he stated.

"I guess you're right," she said, still doubtful.

"I'm _always_ right."

* * *

"I can't believe it, I can't believe it," Keith kept repeating as Natalie turned into a dirt parking lot.

"Well, you better believe it, because it's true," smiled Natalie. She parked, before glancing over at a gaping Keith.

Once he glanced at everything, he looked over at Natalie, a huge grin on his face. "A truck show?" he asked, eyes dancing with happiness.

Natalie nodded. "Yup, I mean it's probably not as big as the one in London, but—"

She was silenced by a kiss. "You're the best, you know that?"

Natalie grinned and he went back to staring. "You know, if you actually get out of the truck you can go look at all the other trucks," mentioned Natalie, smiling.

His grin got wider, before he opened his door. Just as they got out a young man, probably in his early twenties walked up to Keith. "Your truck?"

Keith grinned. "Yeah," he answered, as Natalie walked next to him.

The man nodded. "Hmmm. I see," he mused, eyes trailing over Keith's truck. "Bit old, isn't it?" he asked, glancing back to Keith.

Keith's grin wavered, but he still replied, "Aren't the old trucks the classics?" he retorted. Natalie was beginning to not like this guy; he seemed arrogant and just plain rude.

The man shrugged. "Still, it doesn't look like it's in very good condition," he spoke. Natalie glanced at the man's girlfriend who seemed to be embarrassed and was stepping a few inches away from him with every statement he made.

Keith didn't look to have a retort, so Natalie supplied one for him. "So, where's your truck, then?"

The man looked taken aback at Natalie's abrupt question. "Why do you care?" he spat back.

Natalie shrugged, staying calm. "Oh, I don't know. I find it strange that you're complaining about his truck when you don't even have one yourself."

"I do have one."

"Oh, really?" laughed Natalie. She felt like she was having a conversation with a twelve-year old. "Then where is it?"

"At the shop," he stuttered. Natalie didn't miss the slight blush that rose on his cheeks, and the glare his girlfriend was giving him.

"Hmmm," said Natalie. "Well, it's been great talking with you, but I think my boyfriend and I have some trucks to look at," she stated, grabbing Keith's hand, and beginning to walk away.

The boy frowned. "Wait—why do you like his truck so much, anyway?" he questioned. "You don't seem like the type."

Natalie grinned. "Oh, great things have happened in that truck, if you know what I mean. Have a great day," she stated with a wink. Once they were far enough away, she and Keith started laughing.

"That was great," choked out Keith.

Natalie's eyes shined. "You think?"

"You were great," he stated, kissing her on the lips.

"Thanks. Why didn't you say anything, though?" she asked, as he grabbed her hand and they made their way over to the first row of trucks.

"I think you were handling it quite well, don't you think?"

* * *

The end of the day was drawing near, and Natalie and Keith were some of the last people left at the truck show. They had spent the day walking down the rows of trucks. Keith inspected every one closely. Natalie let him take his time, making sure not to seem too bored. She had gotten bored after looking at a few trucks; she just couldn't see what was so exciting about them. For lunch, they had both gotten a hot dog, a bag of chips, and a soda. There wasn't much else to choose from in the way of food.

Clouds were rolling in and it looked like it was going to rain. "Hey, Keith," she spoke up after he made his way to one of the last remaining trucks.

He looked up at her. "Yeah?" she pointed to the clouds rolling in but they didn't faze him. "So?" he stated, looking confused at why she was pointing the clouds out.

"Looks like it's going to rain. Are you almost done?"

He went back to walking around the truck, after a few minutes, he responded. "A little rain never hurt anyone."

Natalie went back to watching the clouds roll in. When they were at their last truck, the rain started to fall, in bit drops. Quickly, Keith grabbed her hand and opened the passenger's side of the truck. "What are you doing?" asked Natalie, closing the door next to her.

He didn't answer, but made himself comfortable in the driver's side. "We're going on an adventure."

"An adventure?"

He nodded. "Yup."

"Where are we going?" she questioned.

He shrugged. "The sky's the limit," he stated, pointing in front of him. "Let's just drive," he whispered.

Smiling, she decided to play along. After a few minutes, Natalie spoke up."Do you hear that?" she questioned, hoping she was making her best scared expression.

"Hear what?" he whispered.

"That pounding…"

"Hmm," he agreed. "What do you think it could be?" He raised his eyebrows at her, waiting for a response.

Natalie shrugged nonchalantly. "Could be anything, really. I mean we are _in_ the jungle."

Keith chuckled before speaking. "The jungle, huh?"

Natalie nodded. "I think it's a dinosaur," she stated after a moment, eyes becoming wide.

"A dinosaur?" Keith chuckled again, but then became serious.

"Yes," said Natalie seriously. "Oh, shit, there it is, it's huge—drive," she screamed, before lowering herself onto the seat, a few seconds later, she realized Keith was laying next to her. "You're supposed to be driving!" she admonished.

"Oh." He looked guilty. "We crashed," he stated simply as if this was nothing.

"Crashed?" she stated, looking stricken.

He nodded. "Shhh…don't speak or T-Rex will hear you…" He placed his fingertips against her lips to silence her.

They laid there for a while, trying to contain there laughter when suddenly a knock sounding on the driver's side window, causing both her and Keith to scream and sit up.

A security guard was standing outside of the truck, a serious and annoyed look on his face. He motioned for them to come out. Natalie followed behind Keith.

They opened the driver's side and stepped out in the pouring rain. "Time to go," stated the officer, pointing in the direction of the parking lot. Both Natalie and Keith nodded, and began walking towards the truck.

Natalie glanced behind her to see the security guard still watching them. "He's watching us," she stated.

"Haha. Doesn't trust us, does he?" he screamed, turning around to wave at the office.

Natalie grabbed his arm, turning him back around. "_Keith!_"

"What?" he asked innocently.

"He could have heard you!"

"I think he did hear me. I saw him start walking over here; anyway, what's he going to do to us?"

"Guess you're right," she said, before glancing down at her clothes. "We're soaked," stated Natalie, glancing down at her clothes.

"Really?" said Keith. "I hadn't noticed."

They finally made it to the truck, but Natalie grabbed Keith's arm to stop him from getting in. "What?" he asked.

"Let's dance," she whispered, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards her. "In the rain."

She didn't care if they looked silly. Standing in the pouring rain, with their clothes soaked. Staring into Keith's green eyes, Natalie just couldn't take her eyes away. He had his hands on her hips and they began to slowly dance to music that only the two of them could hear.

* * *

"That shower was _way_ too small for two people," stated Natalie as she threw on her pajamas.

Keith was lying on the bed, in only his pair of flannel pajama pants. "Well, I think it was fine," stated Keith.

"Oh, please, who slipped and fell twice," she reminded, fluffing her hair with a towel. It was too late and she didn't care how it dried. Just before she was about to get under the covers, when Keith grabbed her hand, stopping her.

"Get your shoes on," he stated, grabbing a random hoodie and throwing it on.

"What? Why?"

"We're going somewhere," he smirked, before grabbing something and hiding it in the pocket of his sweater.

"What—"

"No questions, just follow," he ordered.

She followed him out of their room and down the tiny stairs, and into the backyard. "Wow, this is really pretty," said Natalie.

There was a little pathway, and white lights were hanging on some random trees to give it light. There were tons of flowers, in all different colors. There were pink, yellow, blue, purple—any color she could think of, she saw. Keith grabbed her hand and walked down the pathway which led to a white gazebo.

"Wow, it's beautiful. How'd you know about this?" she asked, impressed.

"Oh, Julia told me," he stated simply, as they made their way up the few steps and sat down on a white bench.

"Julia?"

He nodded. "Yup, and she helped me get these," he said, before pulling out a small plastic box of strawberries covered in chocolate.

"My favorite," smiled Natalie.

"I know," he grinned, opening the box and handing her one.

She took a bite and the sweetness of the chocolate and strawberry hit her. "Hmm, so good," she smiled. They ate a few strawberries in silence before Keith spoke up.

"Thanks for today," he stated.

Natalie smiled, leaning up next to him. "It was nothing," she said, before biting into another strawberry.

"You know," he started, and the seriousness in his voice made Natalie glance up at him. "I don't think I could do this without you."

"Do what?" she joked. "Eat strawberries?"

"No, Partner," he said softly, his voice serious. "I don't know. The chemo again…I just it's hard, and I'm glad you're here this time with me."

"I'm sure you could do it without me," she stated, averting her gaze from his face to the flowers that were growing on the gazebo.

"No, I couldn't. Chemo, isn't easy—you know that. But even when I did it first, I didn't have that much support. Don't get me wrong, my dad was there, but he worked a lot and we were both still grieving for my mom. It was just a lot to deal with. I-I just don't think I could do this without you."

He wrapped his arm around her, and squeezed her tightly. "You don't realize how much_ I_ needyou," he stated, Natalie thought she heard his voice crack. She moved positions, resting her head on his lap. She felt him begin to run his fingers through her hair. They stayed there, just enjoying the presence of each other.

"And you don't realize how much _I_ need you," she whispered, sitting up to look at him.

They stared into each other's eyes for a while, before Natalie leaned in and kissed him. His lips were wet, and still held the tangy sweetness of the strawberries. Natalie felt butterflies in her stomach at the contact.

"It still happens," she whispered against his lips.

"What?" he asked, pulling back a little.

"The butterflies, they're still there." For some reason, she felt tears build behind her eyes. She didn't expect him to understand.

He pulled her into another kiss, and once they pulled away he said, "I know exactly what you mean."

* * *

**A/N: **_Hope you enjoyed it! Again, I'm so sorry for the delay. Please review!_


	14. Keep Holding On

**A/N: ** _Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed!_

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* * *

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**Chapter Fourteen: Keep Holding On**

Two weeks after the truck show, Keith was still talking about it. If Natalie would have known a simple trip would make him so happy, she would've have planned one ages ago. No matter how boring listening to him explain the different types of trucks was, Natalie didn't want him to ever stop. She loved to see him still so happy and so excited.

Today was Melanie's October party. Surprisingly, it hadn't taken much begging for Natalie to get Keith to come along, she supposed he liked to get out of her house once and a while.

They were running a little late since Keith had his next chemo treatment at the hospital. The treatment had taken longer than Natalie had expected, so when she saw Keith walking into the waiting room, she immediately stood up and dragged him to the car. She had been so worried about being late that she didn't think to make sure Keith was up for the party. The thought didn't occur to her until she parked at Melanie's house and finally got a good look at him.

At the sight of him, her heart skipped a beat, and instantly she felt bad for not checking with him at the hospital. The simplest way to describe how he looked was exhausted; she hoped it wasn't anything more than that. "Do you feel okay?" she asked, checking to make sure. She unbuckled her seatbelt, not taking her attention off of him.

He shrugged, and wouldn't look her in the eyes. He licked his lips before answering, "Yeah," he nodded, keeping his gaze straight on Melanie's house. "I'm fine."

"Are you—"A sudden tapping on Natalie's window, cut off her question, and she turned to look at who was interrupting them.

It was Melanie, standing there waving at the two of them, a huge grin on her face. She had a bright orange sweater on, that surprisingly looked good on her. Natalie gave one last quick glance at Keith, but he was already unbuckling his seatbelt and opening his door. Sighing to herself, she knew that talking to him would have to wait.

"Hey, Melanie," she smiled, getting out of her car. "Nice sweater," she commented, glancing at the bright orange sweater up close she could see she had a tiny pin of a black cat on the pocket of it.

"You like it?" she smiled. "It's my October party outfit. It's orange, you see, for Halloween."

"Well, you definitely look good in orange," said Natalie, causing Melanie to blush. "I especially like the pin," she added, pointing at it.

"Thanks. I got it from my Mom years ago," she trailed her fingers gingerly over it, before shaking her head to clear her thoughts. "So, what were you guys doing in your car?" she questioned, peering into the car, as if expecting something exciting to be in there.

"Oh, um," started Natalie, but Keith quickly cut her off.

"We thought we had the wrong house," he said, standing next to Natalie and giving her a fierce look. Natalie knew what that look meant.

"Ah, well you're here," she exclaimed, glancing between Natalie and Keith and smiling. "Come on in," she said, ushering them inside and into her kitchen where some guests were socializing.

At Keith and Natalie's entrance, all of the guests turned to look at them. "Everyone, this is Natalie and Keith. Natalie works for me," she smiled, turning to everyone. "Some of you may have seen her before, as you _are _my faithful customers."

An old man, who Natalie thought looked quite familiar, spoke up. "Ah, Natalie, remember me?" he smiled, looking at her intently through his glasses.

Natalie nodded. How could she forget him? He had talked to her for half an hour about trains while she was at the register. His enthusiasm for trains rivaled Keith's for trucks. "Mr. Brown, you bought a book on trains, didn't you?"

"She remembers," he smiled, his eyes sparkling in happiness.

"Of course I do," said Natalie. "Couldn't forget you."

"You're too sweet, dear," said Mr. Brown, turning to look over at Melanie. "As long as you have Miss Natalie here working for you Melanie, I'll be coming to your store."

"George, you've been coming to my store for twenty years," she stated.

"And now that you've got pretty Natalie working there, I'll be coming more often," he commented, making Natalie blush. She felt Keith step closer to her, in a protective manner. She turned to look at him.

"Jealous?" she asked with a slight laugh. He wrapped his arm around her waist and brought her closer to him.

He shrugged, trying to look indifferent. "Maybe," he finally admitted, giving them all a lopsided grin.

Mr. Brown chuckled. "Don't worry, young man, the way I hear Natalie talk about you, I don't think you need to worry," he commented.

"You talk to your customers about me?" asked Keith, glancing at Natalie, not being about to keep the grin from his face.

Natalie nodded, embarrassed. She was sure she was blushing. "So?"

Melanie introduced Natalie and Keith to the rest of the guests. There were only a few more people that Natalie recognized from Hooked on Books. A lady about Melanie's ago who came in at least once a week with her twelve year old daughter, and an older women who she had seen once before buying a book on birds.

"Oh, how rude of me," said Melanie, turning to Natalie and Keith, "would you guys like anything to drink?"

"I'll have a Coke if you have one," said Natalie.

Melanie nodded, and turned to Keith, who had sat down in the last remaining bar stool next to the kitchen island. "Keith?"

"Oh, um, water's good, thanks."

"Are you sure?" pressed Melanie. "We have tons of soda."

He shook his head. "Na, water's good."

Melanie grabbed a Coke and a bottle of water from the fridge and handed them respectively. "Here you go," she smiled. "Oh, do you want to sit down Natalie? I can get you another chair."

"I'm good, I'll just sit in Keith's lap," she said, doing so.

Once she got comfortable on Keith's lap, she opened her Coke and took a long sip. She felt Keith wrap his arms around her stomach and rest his chin on her shoulder. "What's up?" she asked, trying to turn to get a good look and him, but he stopped her and just squeezed tighter.

"Nothing."

"Okay, everyone, If you're hungry we've got snacks on the table," said Melanie indicating towards the food on the table. She had a veggie platter, a fruit platter, and some small croissants with some cheese and bread, and that was just some of it.

Everyone immediately got up and grabbed a paper plate and starting filling their plates with food. Natalie continued to sit on Keith's lap until everyone was done, while waiting she turned to Melanie. "So, where are Dawn and April?" she asked. Not that she didn't enjoy Melanie's company, but hanging out with people her age was a bit more exciting.

"Oh, they're outside, playing flag football with some of their friends. You should go join them, after you get your food of course." She pointed out of the kitchen window and Natalie indeed saw Dawn and April playing flag football with three other friends.

"Sounds great," said Natalie, jumping off of Keith, grabbing both of them a plate.

She handed Keith his plate, and he looked at it. At his dreading expression, Natalie asked, "What's wrong?"

"I'm not really that hungry," he whispered.

"That's fine. You don't have to eat anything. Plus, remember, Mom's having a big dinner tonight, anyway," reminded Natalie as she grabbed a few veggies and put them on her plate, Keith did the same.

Once, they got their food and grabbed their drinks they made their way outside. It was a bit chilly out, but with a jacket it was actually kind of nice. In a few weeks time, Natalie figured they wouldn't be able to do much of anything outside, so it was nice to hang out there for a while. Natalie took note of the clouds, hoping that it wouldn't start snowing until after the party.

As soon as they walked outside, April saw them, screamed, and ran over to them. "Natalie, Keith," she said, giving Natalie a hug. "How're you guys? So glad you came!"

"Your mom didn't really give me a choice," joked Natalie. "I mean, if I didn't show up I would've lost my job."

April rolled her eyes. "You didn't really believe that, did you?"

Natalie took a bite of a carrot dipped in ranch before replying, "Of course not."

"So, Keith, how're you?" asked April, as she grabbed a small cherry tomato from Natalie's plate and popping it into her mouth.

"Hey," exclaimed Natalie, pulling her plate away from April's reach.

"I'm hungry," she complained, trying to grab another tomato, but Natalie kept backing her plate away.

"Go get your own food," said Natalie. "Your mom has enough to feed an army."

"But, I'm _lazy_," she whined.

"Here, have mine," said Keith, handing her his plate. "I haven't touched it."

"You're too sweet, Keith," started April, trying to hand him back his food, "but I can go get my own."

"Really, eat it. I'm not hungry. Had a big lunch," he lied.

"Well, if you're sure." He nodded. "Gee, thanks. God, Natalie, you're boyfriend is too sweet. Can I steal him for a few days?" she joked, winking at Keith, who blushed.

Natalie snapped back, in a joking manner, "No, way, he's mine."

"Fine," sighed April, "Guess, I'll have to suffer and get my own food all the time. Such a chore. So, you guys wanna play some flag football?" she asked. "We're seriously lacking in people," she mentioned

"I'm not really that good," said Natalie.

April rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, Duke was giving—gave—you a tennis scholarship; you've got to be semi-athletic."

"Okay, fine," relented Natalie, rolling her eyes. She took a piece of celery from her plate, and dipped it in ranch before taking a bite.

"Keith? What about you?" asked April, glancing over to him. "You down to play?"

"Sure," he grinned, but Natalie could tell it looked a little forced.

April squealed. "It'll be so much fun," she gushed. Faster that Natalie thought possible, April ate the vegetables on her plate, before running over to her friends, letting them know about their additional players.

Natalie ate the last bite of food on her plate, before glancing over to Keith. "Are you feeling all right?" she asked, making sure her voice was above a whisper, so only he would hear.

She was shocked when he spat out, "Why do you always ask me that? It's driving me insane. I can take care of myself, okay?"

"Sorry, but, Keith, I'm—"

"It's time to play," he said, nodding towards April who was flagging them over.

Natalie huffed loudly as he walked to the group. It was obvious with his response that he wasn't feeling well. She figured if he needed her help, he'd come to her.

She just hoped he didn't wait too long.

* * *

They played for about an hour, but then the clouds that Natalie had seen when they had walked out earlier started getting darker and more threatening. It looked like they were going to get their first snow of the winter tonight.

Once they got inside, the grownups went into the living room to talk, while Natalie and Keith followed April and Dawn upstairs, the rest of their friends had left.

They made themselves comfortable on the floor of Dawn's room. "God, it's freezing in here," said April, standing up. "I'm going to turn the heat on," she mentioned, walking out of her room.

"So, what do you guys want to do?" asked Dawn.

"Um, what is there to do?" asked Natalie.

"We could play a game…Oh! How about Would You Rather? Have you ever played that?"

Natalie and Keith shook their heads. "Nope, sounds interesting," said Natalie.

Dawn nodded, excited. "Oh, it's great. It's just in my desk somewhere," she mentioned. Standing up she started rummaging through her drawers in her desk, looking for the game. A few minutes later, she exclaimed, "I found it!" She smiled, handing Keith the box.

"So, how do you play?" he asked, looking at the back of the game.

"Oh, well you just like to ask people questions," stated Dawn simply.

"Questions?" asked Keith, just as April walked back in and sat next to Dawn on the floor.

"Yeah, it's pretty much a game about would your rather do this or that," informed Dawn.

At this, April grinned. "Are we playing Would You Rather?" she questioned.

Dawn nodded. "Yup, they've never played it before."

"Well, you're in for a treat," said April. "Okay, Keith, you start."

"Okay." He picked the first card on the pile, his eyes trailed over it and his eyes got wide.

"What's wrong?" asked Natalie.

"Um, I can't ask that," he stated, a blush growing on his face. Keith quickly placed it on the bottom of the deck and grabbed another card. "Okay, would you rather visit England or Italy?"

"England," said Natalie

"Italy," said Dawn and April at the same time.

Keith went to hand Natalie the stack of cards, but they were all staring at him. "What?" he asked.

"Well, answer it," said April.

"Oh, well, England," he informed, while Natalie took the stack of cards from him. "I've always wanted to go there. "

"Really?" said Natalie, interested in this new bit of information he was expressing.

He nodded. "Yeah, I always remember my mom talking about England. That's where she and my Dad went for their honeymoon. We were going to go when I turned eighteen, for my high school graduation but, um, anyways, your turn," he stated, nodding his head towards Natalie, trying to quickly change the subject.

Luckily, April and Dawn didn't pry for more information, but instead, both were glancing between Natalie and Keith, whimsical looks on their faces. "What?" asked Natalie, getting a little anxious at their looks.

"Oh, we just think it's perfect," started April, "that you both want to go to England."

"Why?" asked Natalie.

"Because, that's where you guys can go for your honeymoon, when you get married," finished Dawn.

Both Keith and Natalie blushed at this, and Natalie quickly asked the next question. They played a few rounds, until Melanie walked in with a tray of drinks.

"Thought you guys might want something to warm you up," she said, setting the tray on the floor in front of them all. In the mugs was hot chocolate with extra marshmallows on top. Everyone grabbed a cup, and it warmed them up immediately.

"This is really good," said Natalie, taking another sip. "Thanks a lot."

Melanie smiled. "It was no trouble. So, what are you guys playing?"

"Would You Rather," informed April.

"Really? Ask me a question," she said excitedly.

It was April's turn to ask, so she picked up the next card in the pile. "Would you rather have known love for a short amount of time, or never known love at all?"

Natalie's mind briefly went blank before the heavy tension in the room brought her back to the present. Melanie, Dawn, and April seemed to have frozen as they looked between Keith and Natalie.

She slowly looked over at Keith as Melanie carefully answered the question. "Definitely to know love, even if it's for a short amount of time."

Words from what seemed like forever ago began screaming in Natalie's mind. _I'm staying with you until you leave, I don't care how much time we have._

Melanie continued in a soft voice, "It's important to remember that love is an eternal thing. And even if something were to stand in the way of you being with the person you love, you'll still carry them in your heart forever."

There was an emotion that Natalie couldn't recognize playing on Keith's face. And yet, if she were to look at herself in the mirror she imagined she had the same expression on her own. Her heart was pounding as Keith leaned over and whispered so only she could hear, "Forever, no matter what."

Melanie gave them all a strained smile. "I'll leave you guys to it, then. There's plenty of hot chocolate so come get some when you're out," she stated, before closing the door behind her.

"You know," stated April, looking at Dawn. "Is it just me or does it seem whenever we have a party we get great food, but when it's just us, we always get like hot dogs or take out?"

Dawn frowned. "You know what, you're right. Maybe we should have Natalie and Keith over more often."

"Oh, I see, you just want us over so you guys can eat better," said Natalie, faking hurt.

April and Dawn's eyes got wide. "No, we didn't mean that," said April. "We were just joking."

Natalie started laughing. "I was just joking, too" she choked out. "That was too funny. I can't believe you fell for that."

They played a few more round of the game, but then it started getting a bit boring, and they started just chatting instead.

"I really want to become a vet, the state school I'm going to right now doesn't have it, so I'll probably have to transfer, but it's best to just get the general classes done first, you know?" said April. Taking a sip of her hot chocolate, they had already gotten seconds about an hour ago.

"Hey, Dawn?" butted in Keith. "Where's your restroom?"

"Just go out of my room, and take an immediate right, it's like right next to my room."

"Thanks," he said, before walking out.

He was gone for ten minutes before Dawn spoke up. "Maybe you should go check on him," said Dawn, putting the game away. "I didn't want to bring this up, but he's not looking so good. Is he okay?"

Natalie frowned. "I'm not really sure. He had a chemo treatment today," she whispered. "He's probably just tired. I'll be right back." She stood up and made her way to the bathroom, but he wasn't there. She checked downstairs, but he wasn't there either, getting a bit worried she was about to make her way upstairs, back up to Dawn's room, when Melanie spoke up.

"He's at your car, dear. Looks like he's looking for something," she informed, pointing outside. She was right; he was in her car, and what seemed to be frantically looking for something under the seats.

Natalie grabbed her coat and put it on before she went outside. It had already gotten winder in the few hours they had been inside, and she was starting to see a few snowflakes fall down. "Keith?" she called, against the wind, but he didn't hear her. She opened the driver's side, and he looked up. "What's up? Did you lose something," she asked.

He looked a bit worried. "Have you seen my pills?" he asked, looking under the driver's seat again.

"Pills?"

He nodded. "Yeah, my bottle of pain pills. I thought I put them in your purse this morning, but they weren't in there."

"Are you sure?" she asked, realizing now why he was getting a bit worried.

"Yeah, I checked your purse like five times. I thought they might have fallen out. I must have forgot…" he trailed off.

"Are you in pain?" she asked, trying to get him to look at her, but he wouldn't stop searching. "Keith?"

Finally, he glanced up, defeated. "It's not _that_ bad," he said, but at her look he added, "Really."

"Keith, you told me that once the pain comes, the pills won't work as well."

"It's fine," he glared. "I don't know why—"

"Look, Keith. If you need those pills, then we should leave so you can take them."

He shook his head wildly. "No, we're not leaving because of me."

"No, we're not," she said softly. "But, we're leaving. Plus, Mom's going to have dinner in about an hour. We should get going, anyways," she stated, walking off before he could argue. She didn't like when he did this, he always put people's feeling before his health, and then he had to pay the price.

She heard the car door slam, and Keith run to catch up to her. He grabbed her arm gently to stop her. "You're not going to tell them, are you?" he asked nervously.

"Tell them what?" she asked softly.

He looked at the ground, and licked his lips before answering. "Why we're leaving?"

"Of course not. Even if I did, Keith, they wouldn't care. They would understand." Sometimes, she didn't understand why he was always so concerned about the topic of his illness coming up.

He nodded, but didn't look so sure. "I know, I know they would, but still…" She stopped him by kissing him on the forehead, hoping this would calm him down, before they walked back into the house.

When they walked in, April and Dawn were downstairs, talking with the last remaining guests. "Find what you're looking for?" asked Melanie.

Natalie nodded. "Yup, but we just realized the time. We gotta go. Big family dinner and all."

April and Dawn frowned. "Aw, that sucks. We've got homework, anyways. It was great that you came, though," said Dawn.

"It was really fun," said Natalie. "Thanks for having us, Melanie."

"It was a pleasure. Hope you had fun. Stay prepared though, there will be more parties at this house."

Natalie smiled. "Excellent."

* * *

As soon as Natalie got home, Keith retreated upstairs to take his pills, while Natalie helped her mom get dinner ready.

They were just finishing seating up the table, when her mom spoke up. "So, how did Keith's treatment go today?"

"Well, I guess." Natalie shrugged.

"You guess?" asked Caroline, placing a bowl of mashed potatoes on the table.

Natalie shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. I mean, he still won't let me go in the room with him." She followed her mom into the kitchen, helping her grab the rolls and butter and placing them on the dining room table.

"I'm sure he will at some point," pointed out Caroline.

Natalie nodded regretfully. "Yeah, I know. I just— I just wish I could be there with him while he's going through it."

"You're doing as much as you can, dear. I'm sure Keith is very thankful that you stay at the hospital."

"Yeah, I know," she sighed.

"Where is he by the way?" asked Caroline, grabbing a bowl of corn and setting it on the table.

"I think up in his room," said Natalie. "I should probably go check on him."

"Well, dinner's ready, so just get everyone to come down."

Natalie nodded, before retreating upstairs; she let Cynthia and Zach know dinner was ready before checking on Keith. When she opened the door to his room, he was on his bed, asleep. It looked like he had passed out after taking his pills.

She bit her lip to keep back a laugh as she stared at him. Gently, she shook his shoulder to wake him up. "Dinner time," she said when he opened his eyes.

He nodded, and when he swallowed thickly Natalie noticed he grimaced a bit. "I'll be right down," he said, sitting up running a hand through his hair.

When Natalie got downstairs, everyone was already surrounding the table. "He coming?" asked Caroline as Natalie sat down in her normal seat.

"Yup," she said, as she began filling her plate with food. "This looks great, Mom," she said. Caroline to smiled at the compliment.

Just as Natalie finished filling her plate, Keith appeared. He sat down quickly. "Sorry," he muttered.

"It's all right, dear. Help yourself." He glanced around at the food, before settling on some mashed potatoes, and a small piece of chicken, while he was filling his plate, Cynthia spoke up.

"Keith?" He glanced up to her as he filled his cup with water. "Can we play a game tonight?"

His face fell slightly, and Natalie wondered why, but luckily Cynthia didn't seem to notice. "Um, sure. Which one?" He asked, taking a small bite of mashed potatoes.

"I was thinking Clue. Do you like Clue?" she asked, while taking a spoonful of corn.

He nodded. "Clue's fun."

"Great," smiled Cynthia. "It'll be so much fun. Be careful of Zach, though, he cheats."

"I do not," he exclaimed, glaring at Cynthia.

"Do too. I catch you all the time. It's okay, though. I understand, but because if you didn't cheat you'd never win," she shrugged. Zach went to go hit her with his cloth napkin, but Caroline stopped him.

"Zach, please," muttered Caroline, "you're old enough not to let what your sister says bother you," she demanded, causing Zach to glare at Cynthia again. She stuck her tongue out at him, when Caroline wasn't looking.

They ate in silence for a while, but when Natalie noticed Keith shaking while taking a drink from his glass, she felt her stomach fill with dread. He drank half of the glass, and when he set it down he then rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache. He didn't attempt to eat anymore, but instead, placed his elbow on the table, resting his head in the palm of his hand.

"Keith?" spoke up Caroline softly. At his name, he took his head off its resting position to glance at her.

"Yeah?"

She breathed in deeply, and Natalie knew what she was about to ask, and was worried about his reaction. "Dear, are you feeling okay?" Unfortunately, at this question, everyone stopped eating to glance at Keith.

"Not really," he muttered, giving Caroline an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. I think I need to go lie down," he stated, swallowing thickly.

"It's fine. Don't force yourself to eat if you don't feel well. I'll save you a plate and you can warm it up later if you want it, okay?" she suggested. At the sight of him, Natalie didn't think there was any way he'd be eating anything tonight.

"All right, I'm sorry," he apologized again, before standing up quickly. Everyone waited until they heard his bedroom door close before they resumed eating.

Natalie didn't, she kept her gaze on where she had last seen Keith. "I should go check on him," she said, concern filling her voice. This wasn't normal, he had never seemed this sick after a chemo treatment before, and it worried her.

"Finish eating, dear. He just needs to lie down and rest. He's probably just exhausted," said Caroline. "He wouldn't want you not to eat."

Natalie shook her head. "No, I think this _is _bad," she admitted.

"What do you mean?" asked Caroline.

"Well, when we were at Melanie's party earlier he was looking for his pain medication. He's never really complained about pain. Maybe only once before. I don't know, I just have a bad feeling that this last chemo treatment really affected him."

Pete spoke, trying to comfort his daughter. "Well, sometimes stuff like this hits, and the symptoms gets worse. The treatment is building up and it seems to be finally hitting him. The only thing you can really do is be there for him. Chemotherapy, Natalie, is not fun. "

"I know that. But, it's just hard. Hard-"

"To see someone you love, in so much pain and only be able to watch, and not do anything?" prompted Pete.

Natalie nodded, tears building up. "Yeah, exactly," she muttered, glancing at her plate. She wasn't that hungry anymore. She was too worried. "I'm full," she said before walking upstairs.

When she walked into his room, he was laying his bed. He hadn't even bothered to get under the covers or change into his pajamas. She sat down on the bed next to him. "Keith? Is there anything I can do to help?"

He shook his head. "No, I just think I need sleep," he muttered.

"I know, let's get you ready for bed first. How's that sound?" she suggested. She waited for a reply, but he didn't speak up. She stared at him a while, gently running her fingers through his hair before she got off of the bed, and walked to the side he was on. Gently, she took off his shoes, but that was all she could do without his help. "C'mon, Keith, sit up. Let's take your sweater off or you'll get too hot." She helped him sit up, and had to keep a steady hold of him, or she was certain he would've just fallen back onto the bed.

Quickly, she pulled back the comforter and sheets, and helped him out of his hoodie. She didn't bother with the rest of his clothes. When she finally let go of him, she was right, he immediately fell back onto the bed. She pulled the comforter up to his chin, but when he brought his left arm up to his forehead to rub it, Natalie felt her heart skip a beat for. Gently, she grabbed his hand and bought his arm closer to her view. He opened his eyes a bit, to glare at her, as if she was disrupting his sleep.

"What're you doing?" moaned Keith, irritated.

"Your arm, it's bruised," she whispered. She trailed her arm over the crook of his elbow where she was certain his IV for the chemo had been. When her fingers brushed the bruise, she felt Keith visibly flinch.

"Stop it; it's fine," he said, weakly trying to pull away.

"Why's it bruised?" she demanded.

"Because," he mumbled, closing his eyes. Natalie knew he wasn't feeling well, and it probably wasn't the right time to talk to him about this, but it worried her. "'Cause the nurse had a hard time finding a vein today, so it's kind of irritated it-it's fine," he whispered.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

This time, when he weakly tried to pull his arm away, she let him, figuring he wasn't going to tell her much more. He placed his arm under his covers, as he turned onto his side. "I don't feel well, just want to sleep," he whimpered. "Can we talk about this later?"

"Later's fine. Sleep now," said Natalie, bending down and kissing him on the forehead. There was something about this situation that just didn't bode well with her.

She had a very bad feeling about this.

* * *

Natalie jumped up, not certain what exactly had woke her up. She squinted her eyes in the dark, and tensed when she heard the noise again. Heart beating widely, she went to lean over to turn her light on, but stopped when she heard her name.

"Keith?" she asked, recognizing his voice instantly. Her eyes had adjusted quickly to the darkness, and she could see the outline of him standing in front of her door.

"Can I sleep here?" he asked, she saw his form close the door behind him as he made his way to her bed.

"'Course you can," she said. She helped him get under the covers. Once he was settled, he heaved a big sigh as if it had taken him a great amount of energy to come to her room. She lied next to him, their legs spooning. Gently, she began running her fingers down his arm, hoping it would make him more comfortable, and allow him to fall asleep. When she thought he was asleep, she stopped, but the moment she did, he spoke.

"Don't stop," he mumbled, half asleep.

"Okay," she whispered, resuming.

She must have fallen asleep because a few hours later, Natalie felt someone shaking her awake, and her eyes snapped open. "Keith?" she said, voice thick with sleep. "What is it?"

"I don't feel well," he moaned. At the pain in his voice, Natalie sat up in bed, and turned on her light, getting a good look at him. He had circles under his eyes, but that wasn't what worried her. Even though his eyes were half-open, she could see the pain radiating in them, and knew that he must be in a horrible amount of pain. "I _hurt_."

This declaration set her into a frenzy. "Hurt? Where do you hurt?" she asked.

"Everywhere," he stated, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Has the pain ever gotten this bad before?" He shook his head.

"No," he cried. "I just want the pain to _go away_."

Natalie sighed. "Sweetie, I can't do that. You took your pain medication, right?"

He gave a small nod. "It's not working at all," he stated pitifully. "I want my dad."

At this request, Natalie felt her heart drop. Quickly, she grabbed her cell phone from her nightstand. "I'll call him, how's that?" He gave her a small nod. With shaking fingers, she dialed Henry's number. On the first call, no one answered, so hastily she redialed again. Finally, on the fourth ring, a groggy voice answered.

"Hello?"

"Henry?" sniffed Natalie, trying to keep the tears back. There was no reason to cry, but she didn't want to see Keith like this.

"Natalie? Is that you?" he asked, suddenly sounding more awake..

"Yes," she whimpered, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

"What is it? Is it Keith?" he asked, his voice full of worry.

"Yes," she stated. "He asked for you. I don't know what to do. He's not feeling well at all. I don't know what to do."

"Natalie, it's okay. Let me speak with him?" he said gently.

"O-okay."

"Go get your mom, can you do that?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, before handing the phone to Keith.

When he began talking to him, Natalie quickly ran to her parents' room. "Mom," she whispered, shaking her. "Wake up."

Caroline did so quickly. "Natalie? What's wrong?" she asked, sitting up and turning on the light next to her bed.

"It's Keith," she stated. It was the only thing she needed to say. Caroline got up, without question, and followed Natalie towards her room.

When they entered, Keith was still speaking with Henry. When Caroline entered, Keith weakly raised his arm to hand her the phone.

Placing the phone to her ear, she began speaking with Henry. A few minutes later, Caroline knelt down next to the bed. "Keith," spoke Caroline, waiting until he opened his eyes. "Sweetie, your dad says you're in a lot of pain." He nodded. "And that you have a bad sore throat and you've been sick." He nodded again.

At this Natalie glanced at him, wondering when he had been sick, and why he hadn't told her. "Keith—"she started, but Caroline held up her hand to silence her.

"Your dad wants to know how bad your pain is on a scale of one to ten. Can you tell me?" He nodded again, regretfully.

"Ten," he whispered.

Caroline told this to Henry, and they talked a few more minutes, before finally hanging up. "Keith, I think we need to take you to the emergency room."

His eyes got wide. "What? No," he said, but weakly.

"You can be given something for the pain you're in," she stated.

He was silent for a while, keeping his gaze on Caroline. "I don't want to go," he whimpered. "I'm fine."

"I'm sorry, dear, but it's your dad's call," said Caroline, making no choice for arguments. He didn't seem to have much energy to fight, so instead he just stared ahead, until something registered in his mind and he looked a bit worried.

"Partner? You're coming, right?" he asked.

She knelt down where her mom had previously been, running her hand through his hair. "Why would you even ask?"

* * *

On the way to the hospital, Natalie sat in the back with Keith. She hoped he'd fall asleep during the ride, but apparently he was in too much pain to do so. When they got to the hospital, Natalie thought they'd get right in, and was surprised when she saw how crowded it was.

While Caroline signed Keith in, Natalie found some empty chairs. Once Keith sat down he rested his head on Natalie's shoulder.

Caroline sat next to them a few minutes later. "He's all signed in, they're going to try and get to him soon. He seems to be quite a favorite around here," she stated, trying to get Keith to smile. He did, faintly, but only for a few seconds.

Not fifteen minutes later, a young nurse came walking over to them. "Keith? Come on, buddy, let's get you to a room," she said sweetly. He lifted his head slowly.

When he stood up, he said something that surprised Natalie. "Aren't you coming?"

"Do you want me to?"

As soon as he nodded, she stood up, following him to his room. It was tiny, with a small hospital bed, similar to the one he had been placed in when he had fainted earlier in the summer. The nurse motioned for Keith to sit down on the hospital bed.

"So, I heard you're in a lot of pain?" she stated sympathetically. He nodded. "Keith, can you tell me what the pain feels like?"

He licked his lips before answering. "It's like sharp; I don't know how to describe it."

"Is that how it started out?"

He slowly shook his head. "No, at first it was just kind of dull. It was manageable, that's normally how it is. But this time it's different, it's_ never_ been this bad. I can't focus on anything else."

"Did you take your pain medication?"

"Yes, but it's not working," he said quietly. "Can't you just make it go away?" he asked.

"I will, I promise," said the nurse, glancing down at his file. "So, earlier today is when you got another IV drip of the chemo?" she asked. When he didn't answer, she glanced up at Natalie, who nodded. "Did he seem any different to you afterwards?"

Natalie shrugged. "He seemed tired, but he told me he was fine. When we were at this party, he couldn't find his pain medication, so we left to get it at home. Once, we got there is when he seemed to take a turn for the worse, I suppose."

The nurse jotted down this information. "I see. Could you help him into this hospital gown?" she asked, handing her a blue gown. "He's going to be spending the night here."

"Spending the night?" asked Natalie, not sure why she was so shocked.

"Yeah, he needs some strong medicine. If his pain is as bad as he says it is. I'll be right back with everything."

Natalie helped Keith into the gown, and he was strangely compliant. Just as she helped him get comfortable in the bed, the nurse walked in. She did some basic tests on Keith, checking his temperature, and blood pressure. It was very unnerving to see Keith just lie there.

The nurse got some bags set up, and gently grabbed his left arm. But when she went to go get ready to put the IV in his arm, her eyes go wide. "Oh, dear," she exclaimed.

"What is it?" asked Natalie.

"It's all bruised here, have you seen this?" she asked.

Natalie nodded regretfully. "Yeah, I saw it earlier. He told me the nurse, from earlier today, had a hard time finding a vein."

"It's pretty bruised; it might hurt more than normal when I put the IV in."

"Can't you do it in his other arm?"

The nurse shook her head. "Unfortunately, we have to do it in his left arm. It's okay; it won't hurt once it's in."

Natalie watched as she used an alcohol swab to clean the skin before getting the needle. Natalie thought it was rather large. Once she was ready, the nurse began rubbing his arm, looking for a good vein. "Okay, this may hurt for second," she informed.

When the nurse put the needle in, Natalie saw Keith flinch, and hiss. Luckily, it was over soon, and the IV was quickly set up. "So, what're you giving him?" asked Natalie.

"It's just a bit of Morphine. Not much, just enough to make the pain go away so he can get some rest."

"Morphine?" gasped out Natalie. She never expected him to be given such strong pain medication.

"It's not much, but it should help him. He's all set, are you going to stay here?" she asked, looking over at Natalie.

"Yeah, my mom's outside, though. I'll go get her once he falls asleep."

"Shouldn't be long," said the nurse, indicating towards Keith who looked to be having a hard time keeping his eyes open. "Feel better, Keith. If you need anything let someone know."

Natalie watched as the nurse walked out, before grabbing a chair and scooting it closer to the bed. She grabbed Keith's hand, and began rubbing her thumb back and forth over the back of it. "Tired?" she asked, as he yawned. He nodded, his eyes getting heavier by the second.

"I'm sorry," he whispered suddenly.

"What for?"

"For making you come here. We shouldn't have come here, I should have just dealt with it," he muttered.

"There's nothing to be sorry for. You're in a lot of pain, it's understandable. Just go to sleep, okay? We'll talk in the morning," she said. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was getting deeper. He was going to be asleep within minutes. "I love you," she whispered.

She thought he had fallen asleep, but a few moments later, she heard him mumble back, "Times infinity."

* * *

The next morning, Natalie woke up with a kink in her neck. She had fallen asleep in the chair next to Keith's bed, watching the snow fall. It looked like it had stopped for now, but the clouds were still around, and she figured it would start up again later in the day. She had been too worried to sleep on the small fold-out bed that was on the other side of the room, so she had slept in the chair so she could be as close to Keith as possible. Her mom had gone home that night, since there was no need for her to stay, and was going to pick up Keith and Natalie once he was released. Glancing at the clock, Natalie realized it was later than she thought. It was almost ten in the morning.

Keith was still fast asleep, lying on his side, facing her. Not wanting to wake him up, Natalie figured that a cup of coffee was in order. She ventured through the hospital, and luckily found some free coffee in the waiting room. When she returned to Keith's room a few minutes later, a new nurse was in the room, trying to be quiet as to not wake Keith.

However, the commotion must have woken him up, because as soon as Natalie sat down, he snapped open his eyes, glancing around the room. "Where am I?" he mumbled.

The nurse soothed him. "You're in the hospital, dear. Don't you remember?"

Recognition crossed his face. "Oh, right," he said, smirking. "This ol' place. You know, you should really just reserve a room for me. Be much easier."

"Looks like someone's feeling better," said Natalie, smiling.

"Uh huh," he smiled. "Much better. When can I leave this place?" he asked, directing this question towards the nurse.

She laughed. "Soon, I suppose. I just finished checking everything and you're good to go. Dr. Normandy just wants to come speak with you two. I'll go get him now."

"Glad you're feeling better," smiled Natalie.

"Me too. Sorry about all of that. I don't know what happened," he muttered, looking embarrassed.

"Don't apologize for something you couldn't prevent," she stated. Just then Dr. Normandy walked in, clipboard in hand. He closed the door behind them before speaking.

"Feeling better, Keith?" he asked. Keith nodded. "That's good to hear, I was informed that you were in quite a bit of pain last night."

"Yeah, I guess," he stated, looking embarrassed. "But, it's gone now so we don't need to worry."

"This is something to worry about, Keith. It seems to me the higher dosage we put you on a few treatments ago, finally became too much. Here's the thing. Keith, I'm going to put you on some higher tolerance pain medication. We can't have you in this much pain every time you get a treatment."

"Can't you just lower the dosages of chemo or something? Maybe have in come in a few times a month instead?" asked Natalie.

"Unfortunately, I can't. Chemo is a very particular process and it's important to stay on schedule. I'm sure that his body will get use to the dosage in due time, but to be on the safe side we'll have him take a stronger pain medication for a few months, hopefully that will allow his body time to get use to it the increased chemo dosage."

"This sucks," said Keith, voice holding a tinge of anger. "I'm sick of taking medicine, and feeling like shit all the time."

"That's chemo for you, Keith," said Dr. Normandy sadly. "It's not the most pleasant thing," he joked.

"Oh, really? I thought it was. I would love to do this every day, because it's just so much fun" he muttered sarcastically.

Dr. Normandy chuckled. "Well, my advice for you two is to just continue what you're doing and keep holding on. You're doing the best you can right now. Think you can do that for me?"

Natalie grabbed Keith's hand tightly. "I think we can manage."

* * *

Since Keith had been instructed to take it easy for the next few days, Natalie decided to bring some entertainment to him. After dinner, she led him to her room, and made him sit on her bed.

"So, what're we doing?" he asked.

"Just wait. I'll be right back." She was only gone a few minutes, and when she returned she had a bag full of something.

"What is it?" he asked eagerly, trying to peer into the bag.

"I figured because you couldn't do much, we'd watch some movies tonight." She pulled out a stack of at least five. "And while we watch them, I thought we could eat this," she said, pulling out a large container of chocolate ice cream, Keith's favorite, and two spoons.

"Ice cream?" he grinned.

Natalie grinned back. "So, pick a movie," she instructed. He continued to give her a strange look, his eyes glazed over with something Natalie couldn't place. "Keith?"

"I don't really feel like watching a movie right now…"

"Why not?" pouted Natalie.

"Because," he breathed, pushing the movies and ice cream off her bed as he closed the distance between them. "You always do things that make me want to kiss you." He brought his hand underneath her chin, and slowly leaned in until their lips finally touched.

After a few heated minutes, Natalie gently tried to push Keith back, but he wouldn't let her budge. "What about the ice cream? It's melting."

Gently, he laid her on the bed. He leaned in so close to her that she could feel his warm breath against her cheek and see the different shades of green in his eyes. "Your lips taste much better than any damn ice cream," he growled, before slamming his lips to hers.

Natalie wrapped her arms around his neck holding on to him tightly, making sure that she'd never, ever let go.

* * *

**A/N: **_I like to see Keith in pain as much as the next person, but sadly, it had to be done. I've done quite a bit of research on chemotherapy and its symptoms while writing this story, and I hope this chapter was believable enough. Next chapter will be more lighthearted, I promise!_

_Thanks again for reading and reviewing. _


	15. Hold Me Close

**A/N:** _Thank you guys so much for the reviews! Just a warning, there is use of some strong profanity in this chapter._

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* * *

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**Chapter Fifteen: Hold Me Close**

Three weeks had passed since Keith had come home from the hospital, and Natalie was relieved that he seemed to be doing better. He still wasn't fully himself, but the new pain medication at least seemed to be working. In the three weeks that had passed, Natalie had worked at Hooked on Books a lot, but other than that she and Keith hadn't done much.

Halloween was in a few days, and Natalie, Cynthia, and Keith were going to go shopping for costumes and get some pumpkins after Natalie got of work. When Natalie had left Cynthia had dragged Keith into the living room and was showing him some of her drawings for possible pumpkin designs.

At first, when Natalie walked into Hooked on Books, she thought she was in the wrong store. Overnight, someone had decorated everything with Halloween decorations. The book cases were covered in white, stringy stuff that made it look like spider webs, and there were tiny plastic spiders on random places on the floor.

"Melanie?" she called as she walked over to the register, just as she placed her purse on the counter, a black thing shot out and causing her to scream.

"Natalie?" called Melanie, running into the room, glancing at Natalie who had her hand over her heart and was breathing deeply.

"When did you get a cat?" she exclaimed. "It scared the crap out of me!" Finally, she lowered her hand from her heart to rest it on her side.

"Oh, Midnight? Well, he's going to be living here for a while…"

Natalie narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Living here? Why can't you take him home?" Melanie shrugged, and averted her gaze from Natalie; she absentmindedly began changing a display of children books that was near the front door. "Melanie?"

Sluggishly she turned around to face Natalie. "Well, you see, my husband doesn't necessarily like cats…"

"…And he doesn't know about Midnight, does he?"

Melanie sighed and sat down in the bar stool near the coffee area. "No, he doesn't. But, Natalie," she stopped to shake her head, "Midnight considers me her mother. I can't get rid of her. Plus, she goes so well with the decorations."

"For only about another week and a half. Then what are you going to do with her?"

"Him."

"Him," Natalie sighed. "Do you really expect to let Midnight live here? I mean, that cat can freak out the customers."

"So? Midnight is my baby, and he's staying here. Understood?" she stated, trying to sound forceful, but Natalie could hear the doubt in her voice.

"Okay," said Natalie, turning on the computer.

"Just don't tell, Gary, okay?" said Melanie, dragging a box that was near the register and placing it in the middle of the store.

"I won't, plus I've never met him. Where was he at your party? I just realized he wasn't there."

"Away on business, you'll meet him soon enough." She opened the box which contained more Halloween decorations. "Here, you want to help me decorate?" she asked, handing Natalie some fake pumpkin lights.

"Don't you think you have enough up? How're people going to be able to walk around here?"

Melanie shrugged. "If they're determined, they'll find a way."

Natalie glanced around the room, looking for a good place to hang the lights. She decided to hang them around the front door. "You know, I think people love coming here because it's such a different experience than like Borders, you know?" she mused, grabbing a stool and placing it under the door.

"That's exactly what I'm going for," smiled Melanie, grabbing some paper cut outs of skeletons, and scarecrows and putting tape behind them. "So, have you picked out your costume yet?"

Natalie laughed. "Um, no. I think I'm a bit too old for trick-or-treating."

"But aren't you and Keith taking Cynthia?" Natalie nodded. "So, you should go as something. What's Keith going as?"

Natalie bit back a huge grin. "Jesse McCartney."

"Really?" laughed Melanie.

"Yeah, ever since the first time he watched Hannah Montana with Cynthia, she's got this crazy idea that he looks like Jesse—which he kind of does."

"And how does he feel about this?"

"Not happy at all, but he can't say no to Cynthia, so really it's his own doing." She finished hanging the lights, and stepped off the stool to glance at her work, satisfied she walked back to the box to see what else there was to hang up. She picked some ceramic pumpkins and placed them near the register.

"Oh, before I forget. You should definitely have Cynthia stop by the store on Halloween. We're going to have some games and plenty of candy."

"Do you need me to work?" asked Natalie, walking over and helping Melanie finish taping the cut-outs.

"Of course not .You're spending it with your sister. Plus, you told me this was tradition, right?"

Natalie nodded. "Yup, every Halloween I or Zach take her. She's just ecstatic about Keith coming. I bet we won't hear the end it for weeks."

"What're you and Keith going to do after trick-or-treating? Any ideas?"

"Go to the The Diner. That one a few blocks away. We always go there after getting our candy and get a milkshake and fries." Melanie glanced up to roll her eyes and Natalie. "What?"

"I mean at night, once Cynthia's asleep."

Natalie frowned. "Oh, I hadn't really thought about that…"

"Great," smiled Melanie, quickly standing up to walk over to the register. She rummaged through a drawer before pulling out a crumpled up piece of paper. Melanie smiled, before walking over to Natalie and handing her the flyer. "Haunted house. I've heard it's one of the scariest in the country. You should go."

Natalie glanced at the flyer with trepidation. "I don't know. I'm not so good with scary things."

"Oh, please, you've got Keith to protect you."

Natalie grinned, folding the piece of paper and putting it in her pocket. "Well, I guess it's always fun to try something new, right?"

Melanie, grinned. Just as the finished taping, Midnight sauntered over, and rested directly on the taped cut-out sheets.

"Midnight," exclaimed Melanie, pulling him off the tape. "Bad, kitty," she said sternly. Midnight glanced up at her with big eyes, before letting out a low 'meow'. "Oh, it's okay, darling. Mommy isn't mad." Natalie glanced at Melanie with a weird expression. "What?"

Natalie bit back a grin as she began re-applying tape to the cutouts. "Oh, nothing."

* * *

"Okay," started Cynthia with excitement filling her voice, "the first thing we need to look for is a blonde wig." Cynthia halted in the entrance of the Halloween store, causing Natalie and Keith to almost bump into her.

"Are you sure I need to wear a wig," said Keith carefully. "I mean, I could just go as Jesse McCartney with brunette hair."

Cynthia huffed loudly, before grabbing Keith's hand and dragging him along. "I guess that was a no," said Keith quietly to Natalie.

"Keith, if you don't want the wig then tell her no. It's not that hard," Natalie whispered back to Keith, rolling her eyes.

Keith glanced at Cynthia's excited face and turned back to Natalie, "You _know_ I can't do that."

"Well that's your problem, not mine."

Cynthia continued to drag Keith along until they arrived at the isle with wigs. Natalie wasn't sure why one store needed so many wigs. There were wigs that were everything from purple and blue, to wigs that were gray and long. Natalie walked over to where Cynthia was, and they began to choose which wig would look the best, Keith hung around behind them.

"Keith, try this one on," said Cynthia, turning around and handing him one of the blonde wigs she had picked out.

Slowly, he grabbed the wig, placing it on his head. Natalie wanted to laugh at how uncomfortable he looked. "What'd you think, Natalie?" asked Cynthia, obviously not fazed at Keith's complete lack of interest.

"I don't know. If I remember correctly, wasn't Jesse's hair, in the Hannah Montana episode like kind of brunette with almost blonde highlights?"

Cynthia nodded. "Yeah, it was. But, I don't think they really make a wig like that," she frowned.

"Well, are you set on having Keith dress up as Jesse McCartney from that particular episode?" Cynthia nodded, and Natalie glanced once more at Keith. "I have an idea," she smiled. "We won't need this wig."

"Why not?" asked Cynthia, glancing at Natalie with curious eyes.

"Because, I think it would be much better if we just put some highlights in his hair instead."

"That is such a great—"

"Highlights?" butted in Keith. "There's no way I'm letting you put highlights my hair." He shook his head. "No way, absolutely not."

Natalie gave Keith a devious smirk, looking him directly in the eye as she said, "Cynthia, ask Keith if we can put highlights in his hair."

Keith's jaw clenched as Cynthia pulled out her best puppy dog eyes. "Please, Keith? You have to look perfect! I've told all my friends."

"You have?" he asked, his face softening slightly. Cynthia nodded and Keith walked over to the mask section. "But, What if I went as something scary instead," he asked. "Like this?" He picked up a mask which Natalie couldn't tell what costume it was meant for, but thought it looked pretty scary by itself.

Cynthia shook her head furiously. "No. You're going as Jesse," she demanded, not even waiting for an answer. "We'll just have to get your clothes and the hair stuff at the mall. But, we can still get my costume here," she smiled, before walking over to the girls' wigs.

"What the fuck, Natalie? You did that on purpose!" Keith growled once Cynthia was out of earshot.

Natalie just shrugged him off. "It was for your own good. You're going to have to learn to say no to her one of these days. I'm just helping to speed up the process." Natalie turned to follow Cynthia but Keith abruptly grabbed her arm.

"I don't need my girlfriend deciding what's best for me," he said in a dangerous tone.

Natalie's smirk grew more pronounced as she took a step towards Keith, pressing her body flush against his. She brought a hand up to his hair and whispered seductively into his ear, "And as your girlfriend, I think you should know, that I think highlights are quite sexy. You do this for me and maybe I'll do something for you."

"Are you sure you know how to highlight hair?" Keith asked, his voice an octave higher than normal.

Natalie stepped away and nodded. "Oh, yeah, absolutely. I've done it tons of times."

"Really?"

"Keith, are you saying you don't trust me?" she asked, wrapping her arms around him, not keeping her eyes off his.

"No," he started slowly, "but I don't really want to have to cut off all my hair because you messed it up."

Natalie rolled her eyes. "You worry too much. It's just hair."

"Just hair?" he smirked. "If that's the case, would you let me highlight yours?"

Natalie kissed him before pulling away. "I'm a girl, it's different."

Keith eyed her for a few more seconds before glancing over to Cynthia. "What's she going as?"

"Do you even need to ask?"

"Hannah Montana?" he guessed. Natalie nodded.

Cynthia walked over a few minutes later. "Do you like it?" she smiled. She had already taken the wig out of the bag and placed it on her head. The wig was blonde and went a few inches past her shoulders. "It's great," said Keith. "You look exactly like Hannah Montana."

Cynthia smiled. "Okay, now we have to find my outfit," she grabbed Keith's hand and

dragged him to the Hannah Montana outfits.

Natalie couldn't believe how many different choices there were. They had an outfit which had a black skirt and a white t-shirt with a red jacket, and a purple one that had Hannah Montana written across the shirt and black pants. Cynthia seemed to know exactly which one she wanted and made a beeline towards it. The outfit had a gold shirt that had sparkles, and a jacket that was almost a pearl white with gold designs over it. A white belt wrapped around the shirt, and then it came with black leggings.

"I think you chose the best one," commented Keith, grabbing the package from her to look at it more closely. This comment made Cynthia grin, if at all possible, larger.

"You think?" she asked.

He nodded. "Definitely, but I think you need to find these white boots that go with it. What'd you say?"

"Really?"

He nodded, and walked over to where Cynthia had picked the outfit, below it were the white boots. "What's your size?" he asked, bending down to look through the boots.

"A four," she stated, bending down next to him.

Natalie watched as Keith helped Cynthia try on the shoes, and after they found the correct size, they began to look at accessories. Once they were done, they had also gotten her a fake microphone, and some gold bracelets to match her outfit.

Just before they were about to pay, Keith glanced over at Natalie. "Wait a minute, you need a costume," he ordered, smirking.

Natalie shook her head. "No way, I'm sure I can find something at home." She didn't bother to mention that she was just going as herself.

Keith shook his head. "No way, I have an idea." Before Natalie could protest, he walked away.

"Where'd he go?' asked Cynthia.

"He's looking for a costume for me," said Natalie, her voice full of dread.

A few minutes later, Keith came back with two costumes, handing them to Natalie. "You pick," he smirked.

Natalie glared at him when she took a glance at the costumes, and before Cynthia could look, she grabbed Keith's hand and dragged him down an isle out of her sister's view. "Keith! I am not going as," she glanced down at the packages, "a school girl or a cheerleader!"

A smirk crossed Keith's face. He took a step towards Natalie pressing his body against hers like she had done earlier and uttered one word in her ear, "Highlights."

Natalie squealed in annoyance. "_Keith!_ We are going with Cynthia. I am not wearing something this short, and showing my stomach off to the whole world!" she exclaimed before stashing away the costumes behind a big caped costume.

"But, I really want to see you in a school girl outfit," he argued, attempting to grab the outfit from behind the cape, but Natalie slapped his hand and he pulled back, rubbing where she had slapped him. "Ow," he glared. "Please?" he pouted.

Natalie raised an eyebrow. "You wanna play teacher? Fine, but I expect you to be my private tutor."

She reached behind the cape and grabbed the school girl costume. Keith swallowed thickly.

* * *

On the way to the mall, they all three stopped off at a grocery store to pick out some pumpkins. Cynthia and Keith had found the biggest pumpkins they could, and also got a few smaller ones, and some hair dye for Keith's highlights.

As soon as they arrived at the mall, Keith looked like he had arrived at his worst doom. "I hate shopping," he complained, following behind Natalie and Cynthia with regretful steps.

"The more you complain the longer we'll be here," said Natalie, turning to glance at him. She turned to Cynthia. "Now, do you know what outfit you want?"

"Yeah, I was thinking the one that he wears when you first see him. We just need a white t-shirt and a black vest."

"That sounds easy enough," said Natalie. "He already has a plain white t-shirt."

"Cool," said Cynthia, slowing down so she was walking next to Keith. "I promise we won't be here that long. We just have to find you a vest."

"A vest?" he asked. "I don't think that will look very good…"

"You'll look great. You are going to look just like Jesse. It's going to be perfect," said Cynthia, dragging them into the first store.

"If you say so," said Keith, looking even more worried.

Two hours later, Natalie felt a bit bad. She hadn't figured it would take that long to find a black vest, but it seemed like they had been in almost every store they could think of.

"Are we done yet," complained Keith. He looked exhausted and completely bored.

"No way. We won't leave until we find your vest! Hey, let's try this store," said Cynthia pointing to American Eagle.

Natalie bit back a laugh; this was probably the last store Keith would ever walk into. "Okay, only a few more, okay?"

Cynthia didn't bother to answer, but instead walked over to the men's' section. When Natalie heard her name being screamed, she knew Cynthia had found something. Keith followed her over to where Cynthia was.

Natalie was right, she was holding a black vest. "It's perfect," exclaimed Cynthia. "What size?"

"Probably a medium," said Natalie, going over to the rack of vests and picking one out. She found the correct size, and handed it to Keith. "Try it on, make sure it fits," she said.

He grabbed the vest, glancing at it with complete disgust. "It's not that bad," said Cynthia.

He took his time taking the vest off the hanger and unbuttoning it, but once he put it on both Cynthia and Natalie gaped. "What?" he asked. "Does it really look that bad?"

Natalie shook her head. "No, it looks really, really nice."

"Yeah," said Cynthia. "It's perfect," she smiled.

"If you say so," he said, before taking it off and handing it back to Cynthia, who quickly ran over to the line.

"Are you lying?" he asked Natalie.

"Lying? About what?"

He motioned his head over to Cynthia. "That vest."

She shook her head, grabbing his head. "Nope."

"Really?"

She laughed and wondered why he cared so much. "You looked sexy."

* * *

As soon as they got home, they immediately began preparing the pumpkins to get ready to carve them. Natalie got some newspaper and used it to cover the entire living room table and then placed the three pumpkins they had got in the middle.

Natalie grabbed some knifes and a bowl while Cynthia had ran up to her room to grab the drawings she wanted to Keith to do on the pumpkins.

Keith sat down at the table, while Cynthia laid out the drawings. "Which one do you want me to do first?" asked Keith.

Cynthia contemplated this for a few seconds, before pointing at one of the three pictures. "The cat?" She nodded.

"Okay," he grinned. First, he cut the top of the pumpkin, "we need to get the seeds out first. Do you have a trash can?"

"A trash can?" asked Cynthia. "Why do you need a trashcan?"

"Um, for the seeds," said Keith glancing between Natalie and Cynthia who were giving him dumbfounded looks.

"Don't you cook the seeds?"

"Cook the seeds," he said aghast. "Are you serious?"

Natalie nodded. "You've never cooked the seeds?" she asked.

"I've never heard of it," he said, as Cynthia placed her hand in the pumpkin, placing the seeds in a bowl.

"Well," said Natalie. "I guess you'll get to try them. They're amazing," she smiled, scooting her chair over to Keith so she could help take the seeds out.

It didn't take long with three people helping. Keith glanced back down the drawing, before glancing over to Natalie. "I think your job is going to be drawing the design," he smiled, wiping his hands on some paper towel and handing Natalie the picture. "I'll cut."

They worked diligently for two hours; Natalie drew the pictures on the pumpkins, while Keith cut the designs out. Cynthia just watched and ordered them both around when they were doing something wrong.

When they were finished they had the biggest pumpkin with a picture of a black cat, while one of the smaller ones was a witch and the last one a traditional scary face. Once they finished carving them, Natalie went and grabbed some tiny tea lights and placed them on the bottom of each one, and lit them.

"Wow, they are so cool," said Cynthia, turning off all the lights so they could see them in the dark.

"Nice work," said Natalie, kissing Keith on the lips.

"Ew, gross," said Cynthia. "It's good the lights are off."

Keith chuckled. "So, are you going to cook those seeds?"

Natalie hugged him before turning the kitchen lights on. "Yup, watch and learn."

Natalie grabbed the bowl of pumpkin seeds and rinsed them with water to get them clean. Once they were clean enough, Natalie used some paper towel and dried them before placing them back in a mixing bowl and added a little olive oil to it and mixed them.

After she mixed them with the olive oil, she placed them on a cookie sheet and then sprinkled them with salt. "Done," she smiled. "Now, we just have to put them in the oven for ten minutes."

While they were waiting for the seeds to cook, Natalie and Keith helped Cynthia hang up some Halloween decorations. They didn't even have close to as much as Melanie had at Hooked on Books, but it seemed to be enough to please Cynthia.

They finished just as the seeds were done cooking. Natalie grabbed the tray, and carefully put all of the seeds in a bowl, and brought them over to the kitchen table. "Zach, when'd you get here?" asked Natalie, setting the bowl in the middle of the table.

He grabbed a handful of seeds, plopping them into his mouth before answering, "I have been here, sleeping," he said, still chewing.

"Zach, that's gross. Finish chewing before you talk."

He smirked. "Why would I do that? It's one of the million of ways I know of to irritate you."

"Just having you talk irritates me," she stated, glancing over at Keith. "So, do you like them?"

He grinned. "They're amazing. I'm going to have to tell my dad about these," he stated, grabbing another handful.

"Keith, can we highlight your hair tonight?" asked Cynthia.

Zach snapped his eyes to Keith. "Dude, seriously?"

Keith looked between Cynthia and Zach, before dropping his head in his hands and mumbling something incoherent.

"What was that man? I couldn't quite hear you," Zach said with a large grin.

Keith looked him in the eyes as he said, "Your sister's got me whipped."

Zach looked aghast. "Dude, that is just wrong. Keep whatever the hell you and Natalie do in your alone time private. There are children in the room."

Keith looked unamused. "What the hell makes you think I'm talking about Natalie?"

Zach looked over at Cynthia who looked confused by the whole exchange. Zach burst out laughing before clapping Keith on the shoulder "You just got to learn to say no, man," he stated before leaving the room.

Cynthia shrugged her shoulders and looked back at Keith, "So, can we do the highlights?"

"Um, I'm not sure," he began, trying to find the right words. "I think it might be too soon."

"Halloween's in a week," exclaimed Cynthia. "It's so soon!"

"How about next Saturday?" he prompted.

Cynthia frowned. "But—are you sure you'll do it? That's Halloween Day!"

"Positive," said Keith, taking some more pumpkin seeds. "Natalie will do it next Saturday morning."

Cynthia looked skeptical, but finally answered, "Okay, if you're sure. I'm full. I'm going to go watch some Hannah Montana now," she said, before running up the stairs.

Keith helped Natalie clean the dishes before they made their way up into his room. They were going to watch the second _Final Destination_ movie that Keith had rented earlier that day.

They changed into their pajamas before they got under the covers. Just before they were about to turn the movie on, Keith glanced over to Natalie, a mysterious look in his eyes. "What?" asked Natalie.

"When are you going to put on that school girl outfit?" he asked.

"Keith," she reprimanded, grabbing her pillow and hitting him on the chest with it. "No more."

"But, I'm a guy. What do you expect? Plus, you said—"

"Shut up or you'll never see me in anything but long shirts and sweatpants," threatened Natalie.

He shut up after that.

* * *

A week later it was Saturday morning— Halloween day—and the day to highlight Keith's hair.

"Quit acting like this is the end of the world," said Natalie, as she literally dragged Keith into the bathroom. He sat on the toilet.

Natalie opened the box, reading the direction while she mixed the bottles together. Once they were mixed the color was a blondish brown. "Is that what color my hair is going to look like?" he asked, glancing at the bottle with a look akin to fear.

"No, it'll change. Hang on I have to go get that picture of Jesse my sister left for me." She quickly walked into her room and grabbed the printed off picture of Jesse, before heading back into her bathroom.

She set the picture on the sink, before placing gloves on her hands. She grabbed the tiny tool that came with the dye and attached it to the end of the bottle. "Now, don't move," said Natalie. "If you make any sudden movements, well, I could like totally mess up," she stated. She saw Keith visibly tense, and laughed out loud; he was making this out to be like some type of surgery.

It was hilarious.

Natalie worked slowly, trying to get his hair to look as close to Jesse's as possible. She was almost done when a big blob came out of the bottle and landed on the top of Keith's head. "Oh, shit," said Natalie quickly wiping away the blob with her gloves.

"Oh, shit? What's that suppose to me?" asked Keith frantically, trying to look in the mirror, but Natalie gripped him firmly so he couldn't move.

"It's fine, everything's under control."

"You don't sound so certain," said Keith. "I thought you said you've done this a lot."

Natalie set the timer on her watch before glancing at him. "I said that?" she asked. "When did I say that?"

"At the Halloween store," said Keith, breathing deeply. "Are you saying that—that you've never done this?"

Natalie sighed deeply, resting casually on the bathroom counter. She was getting too much enjoyment out of Keith frantic behavior right now. "Keith, there's always a first time for everything," she shrugged nonchalantly.

Keith eyes got wide, and he attempted to stand up again. "Let me see," he spit out.

"No, just wait until the finished product," smiled Natalie. "You've got ten minutes."

"How long did you say this would last?" asked Keith quietly.

"Like thirty washes or something."

"Thirty washes! That's like a month."

Natalie shrugged again. "Yeah, I guess you're right…Man, I really hope I did an okay job," said, making sure her voice sounded extra worried.

"You hope. You hope?" sputtered out Keith.

"Partner, chill. It's just hair," she smiled. "I mean, you won't hate me if I totally messed up will you?" she asked sweetly, gently running her fingers seductively down the side of his face.

"I won't hate you," he whispered. "But, you'll sure owe me."

Ten minutes passed quickly."Well, it's time. So, let's see the damage," said Natalie cheerfully. She turned the sink on, waiting until it got warm enough before she helped Keith rinse off the color. It only took a few minutes, and as soon as they were done, Natalie quickly covered his hair with a towel. "What're you doing? I want to see it," he whined.

"I have to blow dry it first," she stated, leading him back to the toilet.

"Blow dry it? I am not having you blow dry my hair. I have never blow dried my hair in my whole life."

"Too bad," said Natalie, grabbing the blow dryer from the bottom of her sink. "I want you to see the finished product. You have no choice."

She toweled dry his hair once more before throwing the towel off. She brushed through his hair once, before turning the dryer on. "Ow, it's hot," exclaimed Keith, backing away from the dyer as if it was purposely hurting him.

"Oh, please, Keith. Quit being a baby." He glared. "I'll be more careful, okay?"

He nodded before letting her resume her work. Natalie smiled once his hair was dry; it was kind of freaky how much he looked like Jesse once he had the similar hair. She tried to style it the way it was in the picture, but knew she would need gel and didn't want to put it in until they were ready to leave.

"Okay, done," smiled Natalie. "Now, you can't get mad okay? I mean, I'm your girlfriend. You have to like anything I do."

"Did you really mess up that much?" he asked.

Natalie shrugged. "Find out for yourself."

Slowly, he got up, he closed his eyes as he went to stand in front of the mirror. He opened them, and they got wide when he glanced in the reflection. "You said you messed up."

Natalie started laughing. "Watching you freak out was too much fun. So, what'd you think?"

"Do I look like Jesse?" he asked, glancing down at the picture and then to Natalie.

"Yup."

"Then, I think it's perfect."

* * *

At six o'clock that night, Natalie helped Keith get dressed into some jeans and his white t-shit with the vest. She then used some gel to style his hair. Once she was done, she backed away, inspecting him.

"Perfect," she smiled. "You look exactly like this picture."

"Think Cynthia will be satisfied?" he asked.

"Definitely," she said, and just as they were walking out of Natalie's room, Cynthia came tearing in.

"Keith, are you—" she began, but stopped when she saw Keith standing there. "Wow," she said, amazed.

"What?" asked Keith.

"You look just like him! My friend's are going to flip out!"

"Are your friends here?" asked Keith.

"No, they'll be at The Diner after," she stated. "Does my costume look, okay?" she asked, twirling around so both Keith and Natalie would get the full effect.

"It's great," said Keith. "I think the boots are the best." Cynthia smiled.

"What song should I sing first?" asked Cynthia as they began to make their way down the stairs, where Caroline was with her camera.

"Um…"

Cynthia halted on the last step. "You did listen to my Hannah Montana CD on that trip you took a while back, right?"

Keith nodded. "Of course, I did. I think you should sing your favorite."

"Okay, it's "Best of Both Worlds." Do you like that one?"

"Yup, one of my favorites, too," said Keith.

"Really?" He nodded. "That's so cool," she exclaimed before running over to her mom.

"Okay, you guys needs to get going so I just want to take some pictures. Natalie, why aren't you dressed up?" joked Caroline.

Keith turned to her. "Yeah, Partner. Why aren't you?"

"Oh, I am dressed up."

"Really? Then what are you?" prompted Keith.

"I'm—well, I'm Jesse McCartney's girlfriend, so I mean, I can just wear normal clothes, you see."

Keith rolled his eyes, and whispered, "You aren't getting away with this." Natalie stuck her tongue out at him.

"That's so cool, Natalie," stated Cynthia. "When did you think of that?"

Natalie wanted to laugh at how she had fooled her sister. "Oh, I've had this planned for a while," she lied.

Just as they were lining up to take pictures, Zach jumped out from behind the couch, causing Cynthia to scream louder than Natalie had ever heard. Cynthia immediately ran to hide behind Keith.

"Scare ya, sis?" laughed Zach as he took off his Scream mask.

Cynthia walked from behind Keith. "Why'd you do that?" she demanded.

"Because it's fun. Now, I gotta go. Get lots of candy so you can give it to me."

"No way, you just scared me to death. Where are you going, anyway?"

"To a party," he stated, grabbing his car keys that were on the coffee table.

"Is that more fun than going with us?" asked Cynthia, following him to the door.

"Much," he said. He opened the door, and just as he was leaving, he glanced at Keith. "Nice costume, dude," he smirked before walking out.

Keith glared at the door. "I can't believe I got suckered into dressing as Jesse, when your brother gets to go as something cool and scary," he said, frowning slightly.

"Keith, you got yourself into this," said Natalie, grabbing her purse from the chair near the front door.

"Will you stop saying that? I can say no," he argued. "I've said no to her before."

"Oh, really name one time."

He contemplated this for a few seconds. "Oh, how about that one time she asked for that Hannah Montana coloring book?"

Natalie shook her head. "Nope, you ended up buying her that."

"I did?"

"Yup, what else ya got?"

He brought his hand up to rub his forehead as if he was in deep thought. He snapped his head up suddenly to glance at Natalie. "I know! That one time she asked to go McFlurry's at McDonalds."

Natalie shook her head. "Sorry, you went. Don't you remember?" He shook his head. Natalie patted him on the shoulder. "You also ended up buying eight happy meals so she could have all the toys. Don't worry, dear. I'm sure this is treatable," she laughed.

"Shut up," he hissed. "It's not funny!"

* * *

Natalie was exhausted, she had no idea Cynthia had this much energy. They had gone to over five different neighborhoods, and Cynthia was still not tired. She had gotten so much candy that they had to dump some of it in the back of Natalie's car just so she could add more to her bag.

Luckily, it had started to get too late, and many houses were done giving out treats, they only had one more stop, Hooked on Books, before they went to The Diner.

When they walked up to the front door of Hooked on Books, Natalie was shocked to see that Melanie had put up more decorations outside. She had a bunch of pumpkins which looked like she carved and some freaky looking ghost things hanging up from the front door. When Natalie walked in, no one was in sight. "Hello?" she called. "Where is everyone?" she asked.

Keith shrugged, and Natalie saw Cynthia grab his hand. Natalie was just about to go into the back when something black and furry came over, and began rubbing its fur against Natalie's leg. Natalie bent down and grabbed the kitten and held it. "Hey, Midnight. Where's your Mommy?"

"You have a cat in this store?" asked Keith.

Natalie kissed Midnight before glancing over to him. "Yes, this is Midnight. At first, we didn't get along, but now we're friends."

Keith rolled his eyes. "Can I hold him?" asked Cynthia. Natalie nodded and handed Midnight to her.

Natalie beckoned for Keith and Cynthia to follow her, as they made their way to Melanie's office; she knocked quietly and after a few seconds heard a very quiet, "Come in."

When the three of them entered, Melanie smiled widely, but didn't move. "Wow, Keith," started Melanie, running her eyes over him. "It's kind of scary how much you look like Jesse."

This caused Cynthia to giggle. "When we were getting candy, a lot of girls kept thinking he really was Jesse. Sometimes they would follow us. It was so funny!" She went back to petting Midnight.

"I wouldn't say that," whispered Keith, luckily not loud enough for Cynthia to hear.

"Are you all right?" asked Natalie, noticing how the usual energetic Melanie had yet to move.

Melanie shrugged. "I've had way too much candy. I had to close this place up early 'cause I ate most of it. Sorry about that, I know I told you there'd be games and stuff."

Natalie laughed. "Don't worry about it. But, did I not warn you not to eat all of the candy you were supposed to give to the kids?"

"Yes, you did warn me, but I couldn't help myself."

They talked for another ten minutes, before Natalie mentioned that they had to head over to The Diner. "Glad you guys came," said Melanie, finally standing up. She went over to the corner and produced three bags. "Something for you guys," she said, handing a bag to each.

Natalie and Keith got a bunch of candy, but when Natalie heard Cynthia squeal and began to gush, 'Thank You's" a mile a minute Natalie knew what kind of stuff was in there. "What'd you get?" asked Keith.

"She gave me some Hannah Montana books, stickers, and a pen. See?" she said, handing Keith the bag.

Natalie turned to Melanie. "You know, this isn't Christmas, it's Halloween, one normally gives candy," she joked

"I did, I gave you guys candy," said Melanie, leading them towards the front door. "Have a great rest of the evening. Oh, Natalie are you taking Keith to that thing?" she winked.

"What thing?" asked Keith.

"You'll see," answered Natalie.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Natalie, Keith, and Cynthia were sitting at their normal booth at The Diner. They had just ordered the traditional cheeseburgers and chocolate milkshakes. After they had ordered, Cynthia had then proceeded to dump all of her candy onto the table and began sorting it into piles.

"So, what kind of piles are you sorting them into?" asked Keith.

Cynthia looked up. "Oh, this pile is like chocolate, and this is like suckers and skittles, like the fruity candy. You wanna help?"

Keith grinned. "Sure."

"Thanks, you can have some candy if you want."

"I think I just might," smiled Keith, glancing over the candy and finally choosing a tiny snickers bar. Cynthia stopped organizing to open a package of skittles.

"You know," started Natalie. "You guys aren't going to be hungry for dinner if you eat too much candy."

"Na," said Keith shaking his head, "that would never happen."

Natalie watched them organize the candy, but they didn't get very far because they were eating more than they were organizing. Luckily, their food and milkshakes arrived, and Cynthia put her candy away.

"Keith," started Cynthia. "You'll come treat-or-treating with us next year, right?" She took a sip of her milkshake and glanced at Keith hopefully.

He gave Natalie a nervous glance, before clearing his throat. "If I can, I definitely will."

"Why wouldn't you be able to?" she asked.

He opened and closed his mouth a few times before answering, "I might be working or something, you know?"

Cynthia nodded her head slowly. "Oh, I see what you mean. Well, hopefully you won't have to work 'cause then you can dress and Jesse again! Oh—there's Miranda," she squealed waving her hand and beckoning over her friend.

Natalie watched as Miranda ran over; she was dressed up as Hannah Montana too, but was wearing the purple outfit they had seen at the Halloween store. "Miranda," introduced Cynthia. "This is Keith; he's dressed as Jesse from the Hannah Montana episode. Doesn't he look like him?" she asked excitedly.

Miranda must have thought so, because she was gaping at Keith with an incredulous expression. "You…look…exactly…like him," she sputtered out, not keeping her gaze away from Keith.

A blush rose on Keith's cheeks, and he seemed to be incredibly uncomfortable. "Um…thanks," he said.

"Can I get your autograph?" she asked.

"My what?"

"Autograph," Miranda said, rolling her eyes and digging into a pink Hannah Montana purse, she fished out a pen and a small pad of paper. "Here write your name."

Keith hesitantly took the paper, before quickly scribbling his name. He handed back the pad of paper, but when Miranda glanced at the signature he faced dropped. "What's wrong?" asked Keith.

"You weren't supposed to write your real name! You're supposed to write Jesse's," she shook her head in disappointment before handing him the paper back. "Sign it as Jesse McCartney, I mean that is who you are dressed up as!"

He signed it again quickly, and this time when Miranda saw it, her eyes sparkled with delight. "Thanks so much. Cynthia, do you want to sleep over at my house tonight?" asked Miranda.

Cynthia turned to look at Natalie. "Can I?" she asked. "Please," she begged.

"Sure, I'll let Mom know."

"You don't have to, we need to stop by and get my clothes anyway."

Natalie smiled. "Okay, have fun," she said. And faster than Natalie thought possible, they were gone.

Keith leaned back against the back of the seat. "No more Hannah Montana songs," he smiled.

Natalie curled up next to him. "Oh, you didn't like hearing Cynthia sing them the whole time?"

"Oh, no, I loved it. Definitely," he joked.

Natalie laughed as she ran her finger up and down his arm. "Thanks for doing this for her, it meant a lot to her."

"It was fun," he said. "Of course, I'm still traumatized by the whole hair dying experience."

"Oh, stop it," said Natalie playfully slapping his hand. She rested her head on his chest, intertwining their fingers together. He was perfect, perfect for her.

* * *

They hadn't stayed at The Diner much longer after Cynthia left, Natalie was too anxious to take Keith to the haunted house that Melanie had told her about, granted she was still terrified about going, but she knew Keith would love it.

Plus, how scary could it really be? As long as Keith was with her everything would be fine. Right? That's what she thought until they actually got to the haunted house, and she parked in front of it.

"What're we doing here, Partner?" asked Keith, grinning.

She pointed her shaky finger towards the house. "Well, this is one of the scariest haunted houses in the country," she stated. Maybe, this wasn't such a good idea.

"And you, who gets scared watching scary movies that aren't even scary, want to go into that house?"

She nodded. "What makes you think that I can't do this?"

"I never said you couldn't; I just know you."

"Well, well," she stuttered out, quickly unbuckling her seatbelt. "This isn't going to scare me at all," she said, hoping her voice didn't sound as scared as she felt.

He chuckled before getting out of the car. Natalie stayed by the driver's side, waiting for Keith to walk over and take her hand. "Not scared, huh?" he asked as they walked up to the haunted house.

The house looked old. Natalie wondered if it was even safe enough to step foot inside, it looked like it was about to come crashing down at any second. While they were walking up the driveway up to the house, there were freaky people dressed up. Some of them were wearing chains around their necks, looking as if they had escaped from prison, while there were some others dressed as vampires and witches. Natalie tried to get in the mindset that it was just people dressed up, but it was getting freakier with every step she took.

Finally, they made their way into the house, and when Natalie opened the door, some guy, dressed with a cape and fangs opened the door. While they both walked in, he wouldn't take his eyes off of her. It was really started to freak her out. "Enter," he finally said in a soft, but disturbing voice.

Natalie gripped Keith's hands tighter and she entered. The vampire pointed up a set of stairs, and Keith nodded dragging Natalie with him. "I don't know about this, Keith," she whispered, walking as close to him as she could.

Keith laughed. "That was nothing," he smirked. "You're fine. Now, open your eyes," he demanded.

She opened them slowly; she hadn't realized that she had them closed at all. "That wasn't nothing," she finally hissed back, trailing her eyes over the many corners, she was sure something was just going to jump out and attack her. "That freaky vampire or whatever he was wouldn't stop staring at me!" she exclaimed, standing closer to Keith as they walked into the first room.

"That's because he knew it would freak you out," he stated, but didn't say anything else; instead, he began to slowly drag her across the first room.

Natalie walked slowly across the floor, but surprisingly nothing happened. Her breathing was beginning to get slower and she was starting to get more relaxed, until they hit a spot that had a torn burgundy curtain drawn. "I don't want to go through that," she stated, glancing at Keith. "Something is-" But she was interrupted by herself screaming. Suddenly, a bunch of children had come running through the curtain, but that wasn't what was so scary- the whites of their eyes seemed to glow, making them look deranged.

Still screaming, she ran through the curtain, keeping her eyes firmly shut. She dragged Keith along. Once she was certain they had gone through the section with the children, she opened her eyes to glance at Keith. She was happy to see him breathing deeply, too. "That was—"

"Freaky," he finished for her.

"How big is this house?" she squeaked out.

Keith bit his lip. "Big enough," he said.

They walked through the next two rooms, and nothing too scary happened. There were just some freaky noises that petrified Natalie. The scariest thing about the whole experience was that she knew something else was going to jump out at her, she just didn't know when.

They were walking through the last room, both of them breathing heavily and walking close to each other that it happened. At the same time, two caped-people jumped out from behind a door and grabbed onto Natalie and Keith—they both screamed loudly. The person that had grabbed Natalie had blood all over him, and he was gripping her wrist, pulling her with him.

She didn't mean to do what she did next, but she kicked him, hard. He bent over, and she ran over to Keith, glaring at the man at the entire time. Finally, when he stood up, she screamed at him again. "Get away from me, or I'll kick you in the balls next." That must have been a scary enough request, because he growled once more at her before retreating behind his door.

The old lady that had attacked Keith had him gripped firmly by the arm and she seemed to be chanting something to him. Natalie, with courage she didn't know she had, ripped the lady's fingers off Keith's arm and freed him.

They ran the rest of the way out of the house, and they didn't stop until they got into Natalie's car. They were both breathing deeply, Natalie saw that Keith's face was white and she figured hers probably looked the same.

"Holy shit," said Keith.

"Dido," said Natalie. "What did that crazy witch say to you anyway?" she asked, checking to make sure all her doors were locked.

He glanced over to her. "Said she couldn't read my future, said it was too foggy."

"What a load of crap. I mean," said Natalie. "She can't really know the future, right?"

Keith shrugged. "Let's just get out of here, I swear I just saw something moving behind the bushes."

* * *

"Turn the lights on," demanded Natalie as soon as they walked into her house. Keith didn't argue. They stood there, standing at the entrance of the door, glancing around. "Did you hear that?" asked Natalie.

Keith nodded. "I say we make a run for it."

"I agree. Your room?" she asked. As soon as he nodded, she grabbed his hand and ran up the stairs. She didn't care if her mom woke up, right now, she was certain some crazy vampire or witch was lurking behind a door.

Keith turned his lights on, before sitting on the bed. "That was freaky."

"Duh," said Natalie. "I'm staying here tonight. There is no way I am sleeping in my bed, alone."

Keith grinned, before he stood up to get out of his costume. He leant Natalie a pair of his sweatpants, and a t-shit and quickly they were lying in his bed.

"Is your heart still pounding?" asked Natalie.

Keith nodded. "Yup."

"Get closer," said Natalie.

They both scooted closer to each other, legs spooning. Keith wrapped an arm around her. With his arm wrapped around her protectively, and with the safe feeling his presence gave her, she quickly fell asleep.

* * *

**A/N: **_Hope you enjoyed it, and please review! Just to let you guys know, I'm leaving on vacation tomorrow and won't be back until the 22__nd__ of August. I am going to try and post a chapter while I'm gone, but I'm not sure if I will have internet access, and if my grandpa will let me use his computer. If not, I will definitely have a chapter posted within a few days of my return. Thanks again for reading and reviewing!_


	16. Everything I Want

**A/N: **_I have internet, yay! So, here ya go and enjoy!_

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* * *

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**Chapter Sixteen: Everything I Want**

Cynthia was still talking about Halloween, two weeks later. A few days ago Caroline had finally printed off the pictures from their camera, and Cynthia had taken them to her class. She came home, grinning, telling everyone at dinner that all the girls in her class thought Keith looked _exactly_ like Jesse and that they wanted to come over and see him for themselves. Natalie could still remember Keith's concerned look at this news.

Honestly, Natalie thought that the whole Halloween thing would blow over and Cynthia would forget about it and move on to something else, but when Natalie was quietly eating breakfast one Sunday morning, Keith walked into the kitchen, followed by Cynthia.

Keith walked into the kitchen and opened the freezer, while Cynthia stood behind him, talking about Halloween. But, when she saw what Keith had taken out of the freezer, stopped her rant, and instead asked, "Why are you eating ice cream for breakfast?" she narrowed her eyes in confusion as he began scooping some chocolate ice cream into a bowl.

Finishing filling up a bowl of ice cream, he walked over to sit next to Natalie, Cynthia followed, sitting across from him, still waiting for an answer. "So, why are you?" she demanded.

"Because," he stated simply.

"'Cause why?" she asked, not liking his answer.

"'Cause," he emphasized. "I have a sore throat."

"You do?" asked both Cynthia and Natalie at the same time.

"Yup," he said, taking another bite of ice cream. "And the rule is, if you have a sore throat you can have ice cream for breakfast."

"Really? It's a rule?" Keith nodded. "Awesome, my mom never told me."

Keith chuckled, before asking, "So, what were you saying about your friend Miranda?"

Cynthia's eyes shined. "Oh! I was saying that she brought her autograph to class on Friday, and now everyone wants to get one of their own. Isn't that cool?" she smiled.

Natalie saw Keith's slight grin falter. "Oh, um, how many people want these?"

She rolled her eyes. "Duh, my whole class."

"How many are in your class?"

"Thirty."

"That's not too bad, I guess," said Keith, trying to stay optimistic.

"Oh, well, you can't forget the others," she stated happily.

"Others?" asked Keith. "There are others?"

Cynthia nodded. "Yup, some other people who aren't in my class heard about it and want some autographs, too. You'll do them, though, right?"

Natalie heard Keith groan quietly. "Yeah, I'll do them, but I have to stop by Hooked on Books today," he stated.

This was news to Natalie, but she went along with it, figuring this was his way of trying to get out of spending the whole day writing autographs. "Speaking of that, when are you coming over? I'm only working from eleven to three," wondered Natalie, finishing up her cereal.

"Soon," he stated. At this, Cynthia stood up, declaring that she would go get the paper and pens for autographs now, since he didn't have much time.

Natalie grabbed her and Keith's bowl before walking towards the sink to put them away. "Melanie won't care if I hang around for a while, will she?" he asked, standing next to her and helping put some dishes into the dishwasher.

They finished cleaning up the kitchen before she spoke, "She loves you, of course she won't mind." He grinned. "Is your throat okay?" she asked, drying her hands on a towel.

"Yup, it's fine."

"You know," said Natalie, standing on her tip-toes and giving him a kiss on the cheek, "you're a terrible liar."

He glanced back down to her. "I am not lying," he stated, biting his lip and turning away.

"If you say so," she affirmed, walking to the living room to grab her coat. "But, are sore throats normal? You're not getting a cold are you?"

He shook his head. "No, the sore throats are from the chemo. It's probably 'cause I just had another treatment two days ago."

Natalie nodded, glancing at him, hoping he'd tell her if it got too bad. Luckily, his new medication seemed to be working, and he hadn't complained of any pain since he had started taking it.

As Natalie found the coat she wanted to wear, Cynthia came running down the stairs, her arms loaded with different colored paper and some pens. When she spotted Keith in the living room, she went over and grabbed his hand, trying to pull him to the couch.

"C'mon, Keith," she whined. "We gotta get started." When he didn't move, Cynthia huffed loudly and walked to the couch to begin setting up the paper and pens.

He gave Natalie a desperate look as if she could rescue him. "I'll be there at eleven thirty."

"If you say so, looks like she's having you do quite a bit of autographs," she said, nodding towards the pile of paper.

"I'm not doing a lot, only thirty," he said defiantly.

"Oh, really?" said Natalie, raising her eyebrows at him as she opened the door. He nodded. "Good luck with that."

He glared. "I'm _only_ doing thirty," he huffed. "I don't want to be doing autograph—"

"Keith!" called Cynthia. "Are you ready yet?" Keith gave one last desperate look at Natalie, before kissing her, and walking over to join Cynthia.

When Natalie was backing up, she watched through the living room window as Keith began doing the beginning of what she knew was at least a hundred autographs.

She laughed the whole way to work.

* * *

"Natalie," smiled Melanie as she walked into the door, "you're going to love what I have planned for today!"

Natalie walked cautiously into the store, glancing around trying to figure out what her new crazy idea was. "So, what am I doing?" she asked.

Melanie slapped her hands together in delight. "You, missy, are going to dress up!"

Natalie's eyes got wide. "Dress up?"

Melanie nodded. "Halloween got me thinking. I just love the whole dressing up thing, so I thought why not, every Sunday, we have a Princess Reading Group for little girls."

"And I have to dress up during this?" she asked, not liking where this was going.

"Yes, as a princess! I stopped by some Halloween costume stores that were putting everything on sale and found a bunch of amazing princess costumes; you'll look great in them."

"Me, dress up?" said Natalie, eyes still wide. "I didn't even dress up for Halloween, there's no way I'm dressing up as a princess and—"

"Reading little girls princess stories," Melanie finished for her quickly.

Despite how fast Melanie had said this, Natalie heard her. "I—what?" said Natalie, voice shaking. "No way, I'm not doing it." She crossed her arms over her chest, hoping she looked defiant enough.

"But, Natalie," whined Melanie. "You have to do this. Please? It should bring in a lot more sales. We have at least ten or fifteen girls signed up."

"And that's supposed to make me feel better. I'm going to look ridiculous!"

"You won't look ridiculous, you'll look beautiful," said Melanie, grabbing Natalie and leading her to her office. "You can pick which outfit you want, okay?"

Natalie groaned.

It had taken them a good fifteen minutes to get Natalie to choose an outfit. She tried to pick the least flamboyant one, but all of the dresses Melanie had picked out were equally ostentatious. She settled on a light pink one that had some lace on the sleeves. Melanie had even found some cute white flats that Natalie wore with it. Also, against Natalie's protests, Melanie even curled her hair a little.

Once Melanie said they were done, Natalie stood in front of the bathroom mirror. "I can't do this," she stated, attempting to take off the princess crown that Melanie and just placed on top of her head.

"You look great. You should go pick the book you want," she stated. "The girls should be here soon."

Natalie stood in the bathroom for a few minutes, wishing that this wasn't really happening and that maybe it was just a cruel dream, but when she pinched herself, she was still wearing the dress and had that stupid crown in her hair.

Just as she was looking through the books Melanie had laid out, a thought struck her and she quickly ran to find Melanie. "I can't do this," she said, giving her a desperate look.

Melanie turned around, holding a tray of chocolate and oatmeal cookies. "Why not?" she asked distracted. Natalie followed her to where she began organizing a cute display of cookies and fruit drinks.

"Because Keith is supposed to stop by today! He's going to see me like this!" She was surprised he hadn't shown up yet, as it was almost noon, but she figured he had got caught up writing autographs for Cynthia.

Melanie arranged a small bouquet of flowers between the drinks and food, before glancing up at her. "That's great; he'll get a great kick out of it!" winked Melanie. Just then the front door opened and a girl dressed up as Belle from _Beauty and the Beast_ walked in with her mom. "Pick your book out, Natalie," she said merrily. "The other girls should be arriving here shortly."

Natalie watched as the mom signed the little girl in, before walking over to Natalie. "You must be the girl who's going to read to them?" asked the mom, indicating for her daughter to go sit down on one of the pink pillows.

Natalie nodded, throat tight. "Yeah, that's me, Natalie." She wanted to tell the mom that it was her, but only for the next five minutes, before she snuck out.

The mom smiled, nodding over to her daughter. "That's my daughter, Susan. She's been looking forward to this all week. Do you know what book you're going to read?"

The comment from Susan's mom caused Natalie to feel bad, and she, resigned, walked over to the stack of books Melanie had given her to choose from and picked out _Beauty and the Beast_. She held up the book to Susan. "How's this book sound?" she asked.

Susan grinned.

Twenty minutes later, fifteen girls had shown up dressed up from Snow White, Ariel, to Sleeping Beauty. She glanced at the front door, every few seconds, hoping that Keith would get held up the entire day, and he wouldn't have to see her in one of the most embarrassing situations of her life.

She sat down in a big pink fluffy chair that Melanie had bought specifically for the Princess Reading Group. The bunch of girls glanced at her expectantly.

Melanie began handing out some cookies and drinks to the girls. A tiny petite girl, who was dressed up as Sleeping Beauty, raised her hand. "What book are you going to read us?"

Natalie held up _Beauty and the Beast_ and all the girls grinned. "Belle is actually my favorite princess, what about you guys?" asked Natalie.

Another girl, who had long blonde curly hair, raised her hand. "My favorite princess is actually Wendy from _Peter Pan_, but a lot of people tell me she's not a princess. She is, isn't she?" she asked hopefully.

Natalie nodded. "Of course she's a princess. All girls are a princess which means that every one of you girls is royalty too."

This made the girl grin even larger. Maybe this wasn't as hard as she was making it seem. She could do this, but she'd definitely rather do it without the horrible dress on.

She went through the row of girls, making sure she got their names and find out who their favorite princess was. She read for twenty minutes, and when she glanced up to check the time, she saw Keith walk in, and talk to Melanie. She stopped reading, only watched Keith, waiting for his reaction as he finally glanced at her.

As soon as he saw her dressed up, he began silently cracking up, he was holding his stomach bending over, laughing so hard she didn't know if he could catch his breath.

A girl, Bethany spoke, "Why'd you stop reading?" she asked, before she turned around to glance at Keith, who Natalie was still staring at.

"Do you know him?" asked Bethany.

Natalie nodded. "Yup, that's my prince charming."

"Really?" said Bethany, mouth open wide in astonishment.

"Yup," nodded Natalie, before breaking her gaze to start reading again, but she was cut off when another girl raised her hand. "Yes?" she asked sweetly.

"What's his name?" she asked. Obviously these girls were more interested in Keith, than the book.

"Keith."

"Can we talk to him?" Susan asked. "We wanna ask him some questions."

Natalie grinned. This was perfect. "Of course," she smiled. "Ask him anything you want." She waved him over. He was still silently laughing.

He sat on the arm of Natalie's chair. "Hey, there," he smiled. "Love your outfit."

Natalie glared at him, before she smirked. "Keith, the girls want to ask you some questions."

He looked a bit wary, but faced the group of girls. "What'd you wanna know?" he asked.

"Are you guys dating?" a small girl, Angel, asked.

He nodded. "Yup."

"Wow," sighed Angel, "for how long?"

Natalie glanced at Keith. "Um," he spoke, clearly thinking. Natalie wanted to laugh when she could see him clearly counting his fingers. "About five months."

"That's so long," spoke up another girl, Katie. Keith chucked. "Are you going to date forever?" she added, glancing between Keith and Natalie expectantly.

Natalie saw Keith swallow thickly. "Yes, we're going to date forever," he finally stuttered out. This answer made Natalie's heart soar. She was glad he answered how she would've.

"Are you in love?" asked Bethany, twisting her hair with her finger.

Keith nodded. "Yup, we're in love." He glanced over at Natalie, giving her misty eyes that she could see were filled with want. He whispered to her, 'I love you' before turning back towards the girls.

A new girl, who was dressed up as Ariel, raised her hand. "Yeah?" asked Keith, pointing to her.

"I have a question, if you're in love. Why aren't you married?"

Natalie saw Keith visibly tense. "Um, I—you see—"

"You're the guy," spoke up Katie again, not waiting for an answer. "You should propose to her. But, it has to be really romantic, okay?"

"Okay," choked out Keith.

"You'll do it soon, though, right? It's the rule."

"Rule?"

She nodded. "If you're in love, you get married."

"I see," said Keith. "We might wait, though."

All fifteen girls looked confused. "Why?"

"Because, you see, I want to buy us a huge castle, and I can't do that right now."

"Why not?" they asked.

"Because, before I have the privilege to marry, Natalie, I have to go on a mission."

"What's your mission?"

"I have to find a dragon and kill him," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Really? That's a big mission. Do you have a horse?" asked Susan.

He nodded. "Yup, I have horse."

"What's its name?"

"Honeybun," he grinned.

"That's a great name. What color is she?"

"Yellow."

"Yellow?" they all said at once, eyebrows knitting in confusion.

He nodded. "Yup, you see, she has magical powers, so she's yellow. If you ever see a horse that's yellow, it has magical powers."

"I've seen one," blurted out Katie. "I saw it once when we were on a road trip. Did he have magical powers?"

Keith chuckled. "Yup, I'm sure of it. They're really rare though, so you have to keep your eyes out."

Natalie continued to listen to Keith talk about the magical horses, and soon the girls' moms started showing up. They stood behind their daughters, listening to Keith entertain them about magical horses and castles.

"Well," he finally spoke, his eyes shining with happiness and excitement, "I think it's time for you guys to leave."

They looked upset as they stood up. "Will you be here next week?" one girl asked.

Keith shrugged. "I don't think so, sorry. I don't work here."

Melanie walked over. "He does now. He will be here next time, girls," she smiled.

Keith looked a little hesitant, but excited. "Can he dress up like Natalie, but as a prince?" asked Susan, as she grabbed another cookie.

Keith mouthed 'no' and shook his head in Melanie's direction, but she acted like she didn't see him. "I think that's a great idea. I think I even have an outfit for him," said Melanie.

All the girls smiled, before running over and hugging both Natalie and Keith goodbye. Once all the girls left, Keith helped Melanie and Natalie clean up the food and put the pillow away.

"You can go for today, Natalie. I think I've made you suffer enough." Natalie nodded gratefully.

"Do I really have to do this every Sunday afternoon?" she asked, walking to the back and putting the princess costume and accessories away.

Melanie nodded. "It's not that bad, now you have someone to do it with," she stated, indicating towards Keith.

Keith shook his head. "No way, I thought we just said that, so their kids wouldn't like start crying. I mean they're just kids, you have to tell them that stuff, but they'll probably forget by next week anyway. I don't need to come, right?" he asked, his voice radiating worry.

Melanie and Natalie shook their heads at him. "Nope, you're coming," said Melanie.

He groaned, glancing at Natalie for support. "Sorry, I'm not getting you out of this one. If I remember correctly, you're the one who was laughing at me for five minutes when you showed up."

"I did not!"

"Did too!" she fought back. "You're doing it and you can't get out of it," she yelled, grabbing her purse and making her way to the front door.

"I don't want to," he whined, shoulders slumped.

"I'll see you, Keith," said Melanie. "At eleven thirty, next Sunday. Come a bit early so you can get into your costume."

"But, I think I'm busy," he weakly fought.

"See you then," waved Melanie as they walked out.

Keith walked Natalie to her car. "Do I really have to do this?"

She nodded. "You don't have to, but you will," she said, as she got into her car.

He watched her start her car, before worry, again, crossed his face. "You don't think I'll have to wear tights, do you?"

* * *

That night, Natalie was up late reading a new book Melanie had lent her and just when she could barely keep her eyes open any longer and was about to go to bed, she heard some commotion in the kitchen. At first, she thought it was just her brother or one of her parents, but she kept hearing the noise, and finally decided to check it out.

When she walked into the kitchen, she was shocked to find Keith in the downstairs bathroom, rummaging through the medicine cabinet.

"Keith? What're you doing?" she asked, rubbing her eyes, trying to wake herself up.

He jumped at her voice, causing himself to bang his head on the cabinet, he swore loudly, before turning to glance at Natalie. "Shit, you scared me."

"I'm sorry," she frowned. "Are you okay?" she asked, as he rubbed his head where he had hit it on the cabinet.

"Yeah, it doesn't hurt too bad, but a kiss would make it better." Natalie giggled, before she walked over to him, kissing him on the head gently. He grinned. "That always works."

"So, what're you looking for?" she asked, noticing that he had taken out a bunch of medicine. He was obviously looking for something.

"Cough drops. Do you know where they are?" he asked, rummaging through the last cabinet, but coming out empty handed.

"If we have any they should be here," she said indicating to a cabinet.

He frowned. "All ready looked there. I knew I should have bought some."

"Your sore throat hasn't gone away?"

He shook his head regretfully. "No, and I just woke up like twenty minutes ago and it's really painful. It even hurts my ears when I swallow. Do you have anything that'll help?" he pleaded.

"I have an idea," she said. She grabbed a thermometer before she led him to the kitchen. "Put this under your tongue first."

He glanced at the thermometer. "But, I'm not sick!" he stated, pushing her hand away. "I don't need to take my temperature. I'm fine, see?" he said, bringing her other hand up to feel his forehead. He didn't feel like he had a fever, but Natalie specifically remembered Dr. Normandy mentioning that sometimes a sore throat could be a sign of a cold coming.

"I don't care. Just take it, for me, okay?"

He grabbed the thermometer, and stuck it under his tongue. "Happy?" he mumbled.

"Very," she smiled, before walking to a kitchen cabinet. She grabbed a coffee mug, filled in with water, before placing it in the microwave for two minutes.

She stood by Keith until the thermometer beeped, and she took it out from underneath Keith's tongue. "What is it?" he asked.

"Ninety-nine point five." It wasn't too high, but it was something she definitely wanted to keep an eye on.

"Are you sure?" he asked, sounding a bit surprised. She handed it to him, and when he glanced at it he unuttered a quiet, "Oh."

"It isn't something to be worried about, is it?" she asked, just to make sure. She walked back to the microwave, and grabbed the mug, placing a tea bag in it.

She glanced back to Keith, while she waited for the tea to steep. "No, I mean, when I did chemo last time I had frequent fevers, actually. It's the sore throat that's new. We only need to worry if it gets to a hundred and higher."

Natalie took the tea bag out, threw it in the trash before handing Keith the tea. "Sip it slowly; it should help your throat. We'll buy you cough drops tomorrow," she said, sitting down next to him.

He took a small sip, before coughing. "What is this?" he asked, glancing at the tea as if it was poison.

"It's peppermint tea, do you not like it?"

He took another sip, but grimaced a bit. "No, I mean, it's not bad."

"If you don't like it—"

He grinned over to her. "It's actually getting better. Plus, it's really helping, thanks."

"No problem," she said, resting her head on his shoulder as he slowly sipped his tea.

By the time he was finished, Natalie could barely keep her eyes open. "Partner, time for bed," said Keith.

"Hmm…I'm comfy here," she stated, snuggling closer to Keith.

"You gotta go to bed," he said softly, running his hand through her hair. "I can carry you."

Natalie thought that didn't sound all that bad, but slowly sat up. "No, I'm good," she yawned.

"You look so cute right now," he grinned, running his fingers through her hair near her face.

She blushed. "Shut up," she whispered, but couldn't keep a grin from gracing her face.

"Let's get you to bed," he said, standing up, but not letting of her. Natalie suspected he thought she was going to pass out while walking; she didn't mind his protectiveness, it was sweet.

When they reached the top of the stairs, Keith went to take Natalie to her roam, but she moaned in protest. "No, I wanna sleep with you."

She glanced up at him, to see him grinning. "You know, you should just sleep with me all of the time. Your mom's kind of gotten over it, anyway," he stated, while leading her into his room.

Natalie got into his bed, and felt as Keith pulled the covers over her. She felt Keith get into bed next to her and just before she fell asleep, she heard him whispered in her ear, "Love you."

* * *

The next day, Keith's sore throat was better, and his fever had gone done to normal, which Natalie as thankful for. Natalie went to work for a while, and when she showed up at home, Keith had told her he had a surprise for her.

No matter how much begging she did, he said he wouldn't tell her until they got there, after dinner. Natalie didn't think dinner would go by fast enough, but finally, it did, and they were in Keith's truck on the way to the surprise.

"So, where are we going?" she asked. She looked out of the window, at the tiny flakes that had been falling all day. This was her favorite time of the year.

Keith chuckled at her impatience. "You'll see."

"But, I want to know _now_."

"Patience," reminded Keith.

"I love the snow," mused Natalie, resting her head against the passenger window and watching it fall.

"That was random," stated Keith.

Natalie huffed. "Well, I'm trying to focus on something else other than what my surprise is!"

Keith grinned. "Well, it's perfect, anyway."

Natalie turned to look at Keith. "The snow? Really, perfect for what?"

"Your surprise."

Natalie let out an irritated moan. "Can't you just tell me?"

He shook his head. "What would be the point? Besides, we're almost there." Natalie felt a jolt of excitement course through her. "Plus, you've made me wait plenty of times for your surprises."

"I guess you're right," smiled Natalie. Secretly, she liked the fact that Keith didn't cave and tell her what their surprise was.

A few minutes later, Keith parked. "We're here."

"Oh my God! Are we going ice skating?" she squealed.

Keith smiled. "Yup."

Natalie unbuckled her seatbelt and bent over to give Keith a kiss on the lips. "I love ice skating!"

"Good. You'll have to teach me, then."

Natalie smiled. "You're in for a surprise."

Natalie's intentions had been to teach Keith to ice skate, but after a while, she was just hoping she could get him to stand up for more than thirty seconds before falling. "Just try to balance yourself. _Oh shit_," Natalie laughed as Keith fell again. She had lost count how many times.

"What are you laughing at?" he asked, sitting on his butt on the ice.

"Nothing," she lifted her hand to help him up, trying not to laugh. He grabbed her hand tightly, and tried to stand up, but his ice skates kept slipping. Luckily, he finally got some balance and was able to stand up.

"You're getting better. It only took you a few seconds to get up this time."

Keith laughed sarcastically. "I am _terrible. _I still can't stand by myself_._"

"You're not terrible." Keith rolled his eyes. "Okay, maybe you are. But there is definitely room for improvement."

"You want to try and skate around the rink?" asked Natalie. Keith looked a little hesitant. "You can just hold onto my arm, okay?"

He reluctantly nodded, gripping Natalie's hand tighter. They slowly began to skate. "It's weird. No one is here," mentioned Natalie.

"People probably think it's too cold," said Keith. However, their stroll around the rink stopped, when Keith suddenly lost his balance and fell, Natalie almost falling with him. "Sorry," Keith grunted, trying to get back up.

"You're doing better. You skated for almost a good thirty seconds," said Natalie sarcastically, gripping his hand tightly, preventing him from falling again.

Once he had regained steady footing Natalie said, "Yeah, it's kind of chilly."

They began to skate, slowly, again. The snow was falling down faster now, and it was sticking to the already snowy ground. "Maybe we'll be lucky and we'll get a blizzard," said Keith hopefully.

"You like blizzards?" Natalie asked.

"Yup, I loved them when I was little. They always meant no school, hot chocolate, and time to spend with my mom." Natalie smiled, as she stopped skating and lifted her head towards the sky.

"What are you doing?" Keith asked, giving her a strange look.

"Trying to catch a snowflake on my tongue. Try it."

Keith tried, but lifting his head up towards the sky caused him to lose his balance. But this time, Natalie wasn't able to keep her balance too and she fell down with Keith. Luckily, they were close enough to the edge of the rink, and Keith fell on ground instead of the ice. Natalie fell right on top of him. "Ooof," Keith moaned.

"Sorry," apologized Natalie, instead of getting off of him, she gave him a look with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"I know that look," started Keith, "I don't like that look."

Natalie smirked before she got up, grabbing some snow, and quickly making it into a snow ball. Before he had time to react, she threw it at him, then quickly got off of him and skated into the middle of the rink.

"Hey," started Keith, as he tried to get up, but fell back down, "I have an unfair advantage." Natalie laughed, keeping her distance. Keith was finally able to get balanced enough, and tried to throw a snowball at her, but she was too far away and it missed.

Ten minutes, and countless falls on Keith part later, they were lying on the ground, exhausted.

"I win," spoke Natalie, looking over at him.

Keith glared back. "Only because I had an unfair advantage, I could barely even stand up, and when I was able to, you were too far away!"

"Oh you poor, baby," cooed Natalie.

Keith eyes suddenly glinted and he replied, "Winners buy the hot chocolate."

* * *

The only place open at ten at night was Starbucks. They didn't want to get out of the truck, so they went through drive-thru. Once they held their warm drinks in their hands, Keith turned to glance at Natalie. "Wanna go to our spot?"

"I thought you'd never ask," she smiled, taking a sip of her hot chocolate. It warmed her up immediately, and she quickly took another sip. "You know," she mused, "I never realized Starbucks had such good hot chocolate."

"That's because you always get their coffee."

Natalie laughed. "So? You do too."

He grinned, as he ran his hand through his hair; a gesture that Natalie loved. She didn't know why, but there was something about him running his hand absentmindedly through his hair that made her suddenly want him.

When he finally parked at their spot, they carefully grabbed their drinks and made their way into the bed of Keith's truck.

Keith grabbed a blanket, wrapping it around them both. She hoped he was warm enough as all he was wearing was his black hoodie, scarf, and beanie. He really needed to get a coat. Natalie took a sip of hot chocolate, glancing up at the sky. Unfortunately, it was still cloudy so they couldn't see anything but white clouds and the snow falling

"It's still pretty," commented Natalie.

Keith glanced up at the sky as well. "Yeah, it is," he mused.

They finished their hot chocolate in silence, and once Natalie was done she set the cup carefully down before glancing over to Keith. He looked so attractive, sitting there, with his scarf wrapped around him and a beanie on his head. It was cold enough out that when he exhaled, she could see his breath come out in a white cloud.

"What?" he turned around, narrowing his eyes at her. "Is something on my face?"

She shook her head, leaning close to him to kiss him on the lips, while gently running her tongue over his bottom lip. She could still taste the chocolate on his lips. She ran her tongue over his lips again, demanding entrance and finally he allowed it.

She kissed him, forcefully, wanting him, all of him, now. Gently, she lied on her back, pulling him with her.

"What're you doing?" he asked against her lips, not pulling away from their kiss.

"I want you," she stated huskily, kissing him again. She didn't want to bother with talking right now.

"Right now?" he questioned. She moved her hands down to his belt, and began undoing it. "I guess that answer my question," he breathed.

"You know, I've always dreamed of doing it under in the snow," she whispered, taking off his belt and working on his buttons.

"Well," breathed Keith deeply, bringing his hands to unbutton her jeans. "I guess, we should grant your dream, then."

The next morning, Natalie woke to someone jumping on her bed. "Natalie, Natalie! Guess what?"

Reluctantly, she opened her eyes. "Cynthia, what is it?" she asked, glancing at her clock. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for school?"

She shook her head widely. "Nope, we have a snow day! It's still snowing like crazy, it's great!"

Natalie sat up, smiling. Keith was getting the blizzard he wanted. "What are you going to do today, then?" she asked, remembering what she used to do when she was little and had a snow day. She always played in the snow, made a snowman, and then came inside and made some hot chocolate and watched a movie.

Cynthia looked thoughtful for a few minutes, before finally speaking, "I think, first, I'm gonna wake Keith up."

"Don't you think it's a bit early?" she asked, getting out of her bed and putting on a robe and slippers, shivering while doing so.

"No way," said Cynthia shaking her head back and forth so fast that her pigtails were hitting her face. "You're up, and I'm up," she stated.

"Are Mom and Dad here?" wondered Natalie, as she walked into her bathroom and splashed some water on her face. Cynthia came into her bathroom, sitting on the toilet to watch her.

"No, they had to go into work. Dad drove Mom. Zach told them not to go, but they had to," shrugged Cynthia. "Oh, and Mom said you had to watch me, 'cause she thinks Zach will forget all about me."

"You're probably right," said Natalie, placing her hair into a ponytail. "But, I honestly think that it's Zach who needs to be watched before you." This caused Cynthia to grin.

Once Natalie was done getting ready, they decided to wake up Keith so they could make some breakfast before they went outside to play in the snow. Walking into his room, the first thing Natalie noticed was how cold it was. Keith was sound asleep; he was wrapped up in the comforter like a big cocoon. Cynthia walked over to his side of the bed and stared at him.

"Why's he wrapped up in the blanket like that?" asked Cynthia, furrowing her eyebrows at him. "I can barely see him."

"'Cause he's cold," said Natalie.

"Why?"

Natalie walked over the window in his room. "Cause for some dumb reason, he has the windows open," she sighed. Why would he keep his windows open when it was snowing out? "Wake him up," said Natalie.

"How?" asked Cynthia.

"I dunno. Scream, jump on the bed, whatever you want," she smiled.

At these suggestions, Cynthia grinned. "Okay, I can do that. It's my specialty." She walked over to where the empty side of the bed was, grinned once more, before screaming his name at the same time that she jumped on the bed.

As soon as she landed, half on top of Keith, he woke up, but because he was wrapped around in his blanket, he was stuck, and proceeded to roll off the bed and onto the floor. Cynthia started laughing, and rested on her stomach to glance at Keith who was lying on the floor, looking all but completely confused, still struggling.

"What's going on?" he asked, still trying to unwrap himself from the comforter. Finally, Natalie bent down to help him.

"Time to get up," said Cynthia in a sing song voice. "We're gonna make breakfast."

"Isn't it Tuesday?" he asked, sitting up. "Don't you have school?"

She nodded. "Today is a snow day. We're going to make snowmen, drink hot chocolate, and watch movies!" she exclaimed happily, rolling off of the bed. "Can you make Mickey Mouse pancakes?" she asked.

"Why's is so cold?" he asked, standing up and looking for a pair of socks.

Natalie motioned towards his windows. "Why'd you have them open?" she asked.

He glanced over. "Oh," he nodded. "That explains it." He turned to give her a sheepish look. "I like to sleep with the windows open."

"When it's snowing?" asked Natalie.

He shrugged, before glancing at Cynthia. "You know what, Cynthia," he started. "When I used to have snow days, I use to make something really special."

"What's that?" she asked, looking excited.

"You'll find out," he smiled. "Get your coat on."

* * *

They were making Snow Ice Cream. Natalie had never heard of it, but it seemed like Keith knew exactly what he was doing. He and Cynthia had gone outside and filled a whole bowl full of ice cream, and then got out some milk, sugar, and vanilla.

He brought the ingredients to the table and handed Cynthia a mixing spoon. "Okay," he said, "start mixing the snow while I pour in the milk, got it?"

Cynthia smiled and Natalie thought she was glancing at Keith like he was her favorite person, but then, Natalie figured he probably was. She watched them as Cynthia and Keith mixed the snow and milk in the bowl until it became the texture of ice cream.

"Wow," said Cynthia, "this looks so good. Can I try some?"

"Soon," he said, "we still have to add the sugar and vanilla or it won't have any taste." He brought the bowl closer to himself, and then measured out the sugar and vanilla to the ice cream. "Done," he said.

"I'll go get Zach," said Cynthia running into the living room.

Natalie grabbed four bowls from the cabinet, bringing them to the table. Keith divided the ice cream into the four bowls. "Wow, man, this looks great," said Zach, sitting down in a seat, bringing his bowl closer to him. He took a huge spoonful, and all of them watched him, looking for a reaction.

"So?" asked Keith, looking anxious at his reaction.

"It's really good. You made this out of snow?"

Keith nodded. "Yup, just snow, milk, sugar, and vanilla."

Cynthia couldn't wait any longer and took a big spoonful. After she swallowed, she gave Keith a huge grin. "This is so good. You're the best cook ever!"

Natalie saw Keith blush a little, but not too much that it was noticeable. He sat down next to Natalie, but turned to look at her before. "You like it?" he asked.

"It's really good," she smiled, leaning over and giving him a kiss.

"Ew. Do you guys always have to kiss around me?" asked Cynthia.

Keith nodded. "Yup."

"But why?"

"'Cause it's my job." He smiled.

"Your job?" asked Cynthia. "Really?"

"Yeah, if I don't kiss your sister enough, I'll get in trouble."

"By who?"

"Scary people."

"What would they do?" she asked, looking a bit worried.

"Take me away."

"To where?" gasped out Cynthia, aghast.

"No idea."

Cynthia frowned. "I don't want you to be taken away; maybe you should kiss more, just in case."

Zach rolled his eyes. "Sis, do you really believe that crap?"

She glanced at Zach. "What'd you mean? I believe whatever Keith tells me, unlike you! All you do is lie to me," she glared.

Zach stood up, taking his ice cream with him. "You're good, man," he said nodding towards Keith. "You wanna play some video games later?"

Keith's eyes shined with excitement. "Definitely, after Cynthia and I build a snowman."

"And play games!"

"And play games," he added.

"And drink hot chocolate!"

"And drink hot chocolate," said Keith, his grin faltering.

"I get it," smirked Zach. "Later."

When Zach left, Cynthia finished her ice cream before glancing over to Keith. "Keith, can we build a fort tonight?" she asked.

"A fort, really?" And this time, his eyes lit up in excitement. "I haven't built one of those since I was younger."

"Can you build really cool ones?"

He nodded. "Oh, yeah, the best."

She grinned, before getting up, and giving him a huge hug, before walking away. Just before she disappeared, she glanced at him. "Thanks, Keith, you're the best!"

Keith turned to Natalie, giving her a huge lopsided grin. "You're here that? I'm the best."

Natalie didn't bother to tell him that she agreed with Cynthia. In her opinion, he definitely was the best.

* * *

Natalie played in the snow with Keith and Cynthia for about an hour, but got too cold and went inside to read. About an hour and a half later, Keith and Cynthia finally came in with rosy cheeks, shivering from the cold.

Natalie got up from her position on the couch to walk over to them. "Have fun?" she asked, Keith took off his shoes, and hoodie.

He grinned. "Yup, we made a whole snowmen family, and an igloo. It's sweet. You can actually crawl underneath it." Natalie glanced out the front door to see their snowmen family and igloo.

"They're cute," said Natalie, before closing the door.

"My feet are freezing," said Keith, taking off his wet shoes.

"Don't you have boots," she asked, when she realized that he had worn his converse out in the snow. He shrugged.

He looked a bit embarrassed. "Um, not really."

"You must be freezing," she exclaimed, grabbing his arm and dragging him into the living room. "You need to get warm," she stated, covering him with a blanket.

"I'm not that cold," he began. She glanced over at him, realizing that he was only wearing the same hoodie that he had when they went ice skating. Why hadn't she realized he wasn't dressed to stay out in the snow? He was going to get sick.

"You didn't even go out in a jacket! Don't you have one?"

"Well," he frowned, "I did but someone stole it."

"You mean the jacket I stole? That is not a winter jacket," she stated.

He groaned. "I don't know if I have an actual winter jacket."

Natalie squealed in anger. "Well, we're going to get you one soon," she said, poking him in the chest to prove her point.

"But," he began, "Okay, fine," he relented. "Can you make me some of that hot chocolate you always rant about?"

She kissed him on the lips. They were still cold from being outside. "Yes, I can," she mumbled against his lips, before kissing him once more. When she pulled away she ran her hands through his hair. "I'll be right back."

"Extra marshmallows?" he asked.

She turned around, smiling, and spoke, "Only for you," she smiled.

The hot chocolate didn't take too long to make, and she was about to bring it over for Keith when the phone rang. She set the two mugs down and, answered it. "Hello?"

"Is this the Anderson household?"

"Yeah."

"Is Mr. or Mrs. Anderson available?"

"No, sorry. May I ask who's calling?"

"This is Colleen from Memorial Hospital Cancer Center."

"Oh." Natalie felt her heart being to race. "Why are you calling?"

"It's regarding a mister," Natalie heard papers being moved around, before Colleen spoke up, "Keith Zetterstrom."

"Oh, well, are you trying to get hold of his Dad? I can give you his number."

"No," breathed Colleen, "I wanted to speak to Mr. or Mrs. Anderson."

Natalie furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Um, do you want me to take a message?"

"No, it's a private matter."

"Private matter?" spoke Natalie, her voice an octave higher. Was everything okay with Keith, or were they hiding something from her? "About what?"

"I'm sorry, I can't say."

"Well, is it bad?" she asked. "It's not anything about Keith, is it? He's okay, right?"

"He's fine, dear, but that's all I can say. When is a good time to call Mr. or Mrs. Anderson?"

"They'll be back tonight around six," Natalie answered, hoping she would be around to eavesdrop.

"Thank you so much for your time," Colleen hung up, leaving Natalie standing there, staring at the phone in her hand.

* * *

They spent the rest of the evening drinking hot chocolate and watching movies—mainly Hannah Montana episodes. Later that night, Natalie's parents arrived tired and exhausted. The snow had not slowed down, and it seemed like it was getting worse.

Around seven thirty that night, Cynthia found out that school was going to be closed the next day, and she got a new burst of energy.

Turning off the latest Hannah Montana episode, she ran to wake up Keith who had fallen asleep after about the fifteenth episode so they could start on their fort. While Natalie helped her Mom made dinner, just a simple tomato soup and grilled cheese.

Just as dinner was done, Keith and Cynthia came down, grinning. "How's it look?" asked Natalie.

"Keith is so good! We built it over my bed, and then we used some brooms and stuff to make it taller. It's so so neat! I think I'm going to keep it up forever!" Cynthia sat down in her normal chair, across from Keith.

Caroline glanced over to Keith. "Where'd you learn to build forts that like?" she asked, setting a huge bowl of tomato soup in the middle, and a plate of grilled cheese next to it.

"Oh, my dad taught me when I was younger. I used to be obsessed with forts. I think my room was like Cynthia's for about half a year and then my mom told me—" He stopped, glancing down, before quickly adding. "Then I got tired of it."

Caroline called for Pete and Zach, and they sat down, still interested in Keith. "Well, I'm glad you could make one for Cynthia, she's tried to get her dad to make one, but they've never been that good."

Pete walked in. "Are you talking about my horrible fort making skills?" he asked, sitting down and grabbing a sandwich.

Cynthia nodded. "Yeah, Keith made such a good one. He's way better than you."

"I wouldn't say that," butted in Keith.

"Don't try to be modest. I saw it; it's pretty darn good."

Zach finally came down, and Caroline started dishing out soup to everyone. "Hey, Keith," spoke up Cynthia. "Do you think you could sleep under my fort in my room with me tonight?"

"Sure," he grinned.

"What about me?" asked Natalie, wanting to join in on the fun as well.

Cynthia grinned. "Sure, it'll be so much fun. We can bring my Halloween candy, and maybe make some popcorn. It'll be almost like camping."

"I love camping," said Keith wistfully.

"Really?" piped up Zach. "We normally go to our grandparents' cabin every other year. We should be going next summer, right Dad?" asked Zach, glancing over to him.

"That's the plan. You're welcome to join us, Keith."

"Really?" asked Keith, eyes shining.

Pete nodded. "Of course you can come. You're almost part of the family now," he stated, before taking a bite of his sandwich.

Natalie saw Keith grin and blush at the comment, but then finally spoke up, "Well, I'd love to, thanks." He grabbed Natalie's hand from underneath the table and squeezed.

Dinner was finished quickly, as it wasn't much. Within the next hour, they had gotten changed into their pajamas, made popcorn, and set up the floor of Cynthia's room with two sleeping bags and some blankets, and pillows.

They were all huddled around each other, Cynthia had turned off the light in her room, stating that she wanted it to be spooky, they all three grabbed a flashlight and turned them on.

"You wanna hear a scary story?" asked Keith. Both Cynthia and Natalie nodded. Keith brought the flashlight to shine underneath his chin, casting an eerie glow on his face. "Well, a few years a go there was this boy."

"What was his name?" asked Cynthia, excited.

"Um, Bobby, how's that?" Cynthia nodded in approval. "Okay, one night Bobby was sitting outside his porch, when he heard something from the woods. It was like a howling sound. Well, Bobby was a curious kid, and he decided that he wanted to go find whatever this was that made this sound."

"How old was Bobby?"

"He was ten," stated Keith.

"My age?" asked Cynthia, a bit frightened. Keith nodded. "Wow, he's a brave boy, then."

"Yup, he was very brave. He grabbed his dad's flashlight, put on some tennis shoes, and made his way into the woods. About an hour passed, and he kept following the howling. It wasn't until he entered a clearing that he realized he was lost."

"Lost?" gasped out Cynthia.

"Yup, completely and totally lost," said Keith, shaking his head back and forth slowly. "The problem was when he went to turn around and go home, he couldn't tell which way he had come everything looked the same. Just as he was about to decide which way to go, the howling got louder, and it was then he realized that the howling was coming from right behind him."

Cynthia scooted closer to Natalie. "What happened?" asked Natalie.

Keith shrugged. "Bobby turned around to see who or what was making the howling sound, but when he went to turn something grabbed him!" screamed Keith loudly.

Both Natalie and Cynthia screamed, more at Keith's scream, than the actual story. Nevertheless, even though the story wasn't that particularly scary to Natalie her heart was still pounding.

Both Cynthia and Natalie waited with bated breath for Keith to continue. Finally, in a low, haunting voice he said, "No one has ever seen Bobby since. They couldn't find any traces of him, but the scariest part of the story is that Bobby's mother swares, that sometimes, when she looks from the back of her porch, that she sees Bobby walking in the woods, with his clothes torn up and bloody."

Cynthia's eyes got huge, and Natalie didn't think she'd ever seen them that large. "Wow, Keith, that was really scary. Where'd you hear that?"

"It's a secret," he replied smartly, "We can't tell anyone or Bobby might come and haunt us."

Cynthia's eyes got larger, and quickly she stood up and turned on her light, before getting back underneath the fort. "I think that's enough. Wanna watch some Hannah Montana now?"

Keith nodded. "Okay, sure, what episode are we on now?"

Cynthia showed him the DVD. "That one looks good," he said, before getting into his sleeping bag, Natalie followed suit.

Not half way through the episode Cynthia tapped Natalie on her shoulder, and pointed to Keith. "He fell asleep again," she whispered.

Natalie nodded. "Yeah, he did," She said smiling at him. He had his arm across his eyes, as if he was trying to block out the light. "Let's let him sleep, though. He's done a lot today."

Cynthia nodded in agreement. "Okay, I'm kind of tired, anyway," she stated, before slowly walking over turned off the lights, before getting into her bed.

Natalie was almost asleep when she heard Cynthia's tiny voice speak up. "Natalie?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember like a month ago, when Keith had to stay in the hospital over night?"

"Yeah," said Natalie softly, not really wanting to remember seeing him in that much pain. "Why?"

"What was wrong?" she asked. Natalie wasn't sure if she wanted to tell Cynthia, but the worry in her voice seemed so genuine that she couldn't deny answering her question.

"He wasn't feeling well—he was in a lot of pain."

"Pain? Why?" asked Cynthia. "Is it from the medicine he's taking?"

"Yup, that's why. He had to increase dosages a while ago, and the doctors think that it finally caught up to him."

"Oh," said Cynthia slowly as if she was trying to process it all. "Natalie?"

"Yes, Cynthia."

"I don't bother him, do I?"

"No," smiled Natalie in the dark, "he really likes you."

"Really?" said Cynthia and Natalie could tell she was smiling as well.

"Yup, really."

"Good. Natalie?"

"Yeah. He's going to be okay, right?"

Natalie sighed. Unfortunately, this wasn't something she could answer. "I sure hope so," she said, feeling tears build behind her eyes at the possible thought of him leaving, and of her not having him in her life. She just couldn't imagine her life without him.

"Do you love him?" asked Cynthia sleepily, a few moments later.

"Yes, Cynthia, I love him."

"Why?" she asked.

Natalie glanced down at Keith, who had changed positions, and was facing her. She scooted closer to him, just enjoying watching the rise and fall of his chest, this calmed her for some reason, just to know that he was alive, and still with her.

She gently ran her fingers through his hair. "Because," she said, giving a watery smile. "He's everything I want."

* * *

_**A/N:**__ I've been getting a ton of reads for this story, but only got two reviews for the last chapter. If you guys have any constructive criticism for this story, please feel free to let me know. I know, in the first chapter, I mentioned that I had this story already written, but I'm pretty much re-writing it. So any constructive criticism, suggestions, ideas, or just simply any comments would amazing. I love hearing from you guys and would love to incorporate more things into the story that you guys like and want to see, and fix things you don't. _

_Anyways, thanks again for spending time reading, hope you enjoyed the chapter!_


	17. Losing My Way

**A/N:** _Thanks to everyone for reviewing. Seriously, you guys are all so awesome!_

_

* * *

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**Chapter Seventeen: Losing My Way**

_Keith's hand was cold and shaky as she twined their fingers together. Gripping his hand, Natalie sat down on his bed and looked—really looked—at him. And, the moment she did, she heard herself take in a tiny gasp. He was pale, his eyes were closed, and his face shined with a thin layer of sweat; however, even though blankets were piled high on top of him, she could see his body shaking so badly that it looked like tremors. He breathed in deeply, and by the painful expression that crossed his face, she could tell it hurt him to do so._

_Gently, she ran her thumb across the back of his hand not sure if he was asleep. "Keith?" she whispered. "Keith?" she spoke up, voice cracking. As much as she didn't want to wake him up, she had to talk to him one last time._

_Slowly, he opened his eyes, halfway, to glance at Natalie—she could see pain radiating from his intense gaze. After a few seconds, he weakly turned onto his side, as he tried to say something. But nothing came out but a dull moa. He squeezed his eyes shut as a single tear dripped from the corner of his eye, landing on his pillow._

_At this sight, Natalie pivoted around on the bed, to glance behind her and ask Henry, who was standing in the entrance of Keith's room, "What's wrong with him?" she asked sharply."Why's"—she took a deep breath—"Why's he crying?"_

"_He's in pain," he whispered, walking further into the room. He glanced down at her, sadness and grief burning in his eyes._

"_Pain?" He nodded. "Why? Can't you give him something?" she asked, biting her lip before turning back to glance at Keith._

"_Natalie," said Henry, kneeling down next to her. He glanced down at his son for a few seconds before continuing, "There's—there's only so much we can do." He broke his gaze to look her, and Natalie could see tears shining in his eyes. "Look, he's—you should probably say goodbye. I don't think he has—"_

"_Have you? Said goodbye, I mean," asked Natalie, biting her lip so hard that she tasted blood. She didn't want to cry, because it made everything that much more real; it made the pain worse somehow._ _He nodded. "Was it hard?" she whispered._

_He stood up, giving her a curt nod. "It's the hardest thing I've ever had to do," he choked out, bending down and kissing Keith on the forehead before walking out of the room, leaving Natalie and Keith alone._

_Natalie stared at Keith for a few seconds before regretfully letting go of his hand so she could lie down on his bed, trying to get as close to him as possible. She didn't feel the tears come, but suddenly she realized that her cheeks were wet and her shoulders were shaking with suppressed sobs. _

"_Don't cry," she heard a shaky, weak voice whisper. "P-please."_

_She opened her eyes, which she hadn't realized were closed, and met Keith's brilliant green, but pain filled ones. "Oh, Keith," she cried, trailing her fingers along his jaw line. He closed his eyes at her soft touch, but quickly opened them again; it seemed to take away most of the little energy he had left. "Partner," he whispered, taking a deep breath. "I-I think it's…time. R-really soon, it's time for me—"_

_She shook her head widely. "No. No!"_

_He squeezed his eyes shut again, and when he reopened them they were shining with tears. "Please, you have—you have to let me…."_

"_I don't want to have to say goodbye," she whimpered. Tears were blurring her vision and hastily she wiped them away; she wanted to see him—see him clearly for the last time._

_He took in a shaky, painful breath. "I didn't say—we don't have to say goodbye. This-this is more like a see ya later." He gave her a slight smirk._

_Natalie bit back a sob. "I love you." _

"_And I love you," he whispered, eyes falling closed._

_She lied there with him until he took his last breath. And then, that quickly, he was gone, torn away from her…forever._

Natalie woke with a jolt. Glancing at her surroundings, she realized she was at the hospital, in the waiting room. Checking the time, she realized Keith was ten minutes late.

Where was he?

She sniffed back tears, while trying to control her breathing. Why wasn't he here? Had something gone wrong? Was he…

"Are you all right, Miss?" spoke a voice from next to her.

Natalie glanced over, eyes-wide, breathing deeply, to see a young lady, with a concerned face glancing at her. "He's supposed to be here," she stuttered out, biting her lip and glancing around the room again.

The young lady gently grabbed her hand, trying to comfort her. "I'm sure that they're just running a little late. Are you okay? Did you have a nightmare?" she asked.

"I-I don't know…" she said, shaking her head back and forth. She thought it was a dream, but the memory of him dying seemed too clear and so real; it was hard to believe it wasn't true, that it hadn't happened.

The young lady gave her a sympathetic look."It's okay. He'll be here soon. I'll sit with you until he does. What's your name?"

"It's Natalie," she said, glancing back to the clock.

Eleven minutes late.

"I'm Mary; it's nice to meet you."

"You too," she sniffed, feeling herself start to shake.

"So, who are you waiting for?" asked the lady sweetly.

"My-my boyfriend."

"How about you tell me a little about him, hmm?"

"All right. Well, we met in chemistry class a few month ago"-twelve minutes late-"He really likes trucks and he has one, it's yellow."

"Well, that's neat," said Mary.

Thirteen minutes late.

She couldn't wait any longer. She _had_ to find him; it would at least keep her occupied. Suddenly, she stood up. "I'm sorry, but I have to go find him…Something could've happened."

The lady went to say something, but Natalie didn't stick around to hear it. Quickly, she ran down the hall that she saw Keith always disappear down. With shaky breaths, she tried to keep her composure as she glanced into every room that was in the hall.

She was trying to keep herself calm, but by the time she had walked down the hall twice, she couldn't help herself from beginning to really panic.

Deciding that she needed to do a more thorough search of the hospital, she took an elevator to the second floor, and when she got there she began looking in each room, just hoping to hear his laugh, his voice—something that let her know he was okay.

The visions of the nightmare…or whatever it was, kept haunting her and right now more than anything she just wanted to hug him, make sure she could hear his heartbeat and feel his breath warm against her.

Just as she was about to get back into the elevator, she bumped into someone. She glanced up ready to tell the person she was sorry, but when she realized who it was she stopped herself and instead yelled, "Where the hell have you been?"

Keith looked shocked at her anger, and pointed speechless to the bathroom where he had just exited. "Um…bathroom?" he answered weakly. "Was I not supposed to—"

Weakly, for reasons she didn't know, she took her purse and hit him with it. Before she could hit him too many times though, he quietly took the purse from her. "No! You weren't! You were supposed to come to me after your treatment!"

"But I had to—are you okay?" he asked, glancing at her with confusion, and concern.

"No, I'm not okay," she screamed, walking closer to him and hitting him with her fists on his chest as hard as she could. "It's all because you never let me in the room with you. You make me sit in the waiting room for hours, worrying about what's going on, worrying about if you're okay!"

"Natalie, you _need_ to calm down," he said gently.

"Shut up!" she hissed, not caring that people were staring. I'm sick of that waiting room, of all that damn worrying!" Keith grabbed her hands to stop hitting him, and pulled her close to him. She rested her head against his chest, and the sound of his heart beating began to calm her down.

Weakly, she said, "I'm not doing it anymore. I'm coming in with you so I know you're all right or I'm not coming at all," she said right before she dissolved into tears. She grabbed the back of his shirt with her hands, making sure that he wouldn't leave.

"Okay," he whispered, rubbing her back with his hand. "Just calm down, everything's okay. You can come in with me from now on."

"Promise?" she asked, sniffing.

He bent down and kissed her on the top of her head. "I promise. Now, can you tell me what happened?" he gently asked.

Reluctantly, she lifted her head up from his chest to look him with still watery eyes. "I dreamt that—I watched you die," she stuttered out, a tear falling down her cheek.

He wiped it away with his thumb before replying, "It was just a dream. It's not real."

"Don't ever leave me," she whimpered.

Rubbing small circles on her back he responded, "I'm not planning on it."

* * *

The next day, after Natalie's near breakdown at the hospital Brooke called, asking her and Keith to go shopping with her and Travis. Natalie was ecstatic; she hadn't hung out with Brooke in three months, and was anxious to talk to her in person rather than over the phone.

After spending a good ten minutes trying to drag Keith to the car, they finally arrived at the mall. They were a little early and Brooke and Travis hadn't shown up yet, so Natalie decided to start shopping at Dillard's. She thought that Keith could do with some new clothes so she ventured over to the Men's section and began picking out some she thought would look good on him.

"Why are we over here?" asked Keith.

"Looking for new clothes for you," she mention casually.

"What?" he squeaked out. "I don't want to try on clothes. I _hate_ trying on clothes," he stated forcefully, looking almost frightened at the idea.

"Too bad," said Natalie, picking out a few t-shirts and a few pair of jeans that were in his size. Satisfied with what she'd chosen, she handed Keith the clothes. "Try those on first," she ordered.

He glanced down at the pile of clothes in his hand with disgust, but then suddenly, he glanced up at Natalie, smirking. "Okay," he replied.

Natalie wasn't sure what made him agree so quickly, but she didn't think about it too long; instead, she sat down in a chair near the dressing rooms, waiting for him to change into his first outfit. A few minutes later, he came out and when Natalie caught sight of him she felt herself blush with embarrassment. She was about to stand up and force him back into the dressing room, but being momentarily shocked had given Keith the time he needed to start chatting with the sales lady.

"Miss," asked Keith, looking very concerned, "something seems to be wrong with these clothes," he stated, glancing down at his outfit, then back up to the sales lady with a confused expression.

The sales lady, who looked to be in her mid-thirties, glanced at Keith for a second, looking a bit taken aback at his question and appearance. Finally, in a stern tone she spat out, "You have the shirt on inside out and the pants on backwards."

Keith faked embarrassment. "Really? No wonder these jeans felt weird….Guess I should fix that, huh?"

They lady gave him a stern look. "I would guess so," she stated sharply.

On his way back to the dressing room, Keith stopped to speak to Natalie. "Can you believe it?" he asked in disbelief. "I put them on wrong," he sighed, shaking his head in disappointment.

Natalie glared. "Keith," she hissed. "Stop playing around."

"Me?" he asked innocently. "I am not playing around, it was a mistake, honest."

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Go try them on like a normal person."

He chuckled, as he walked away. Natalie shook her head in embarrassment, and from the corner of her eyes, she could see the sales lady watching her with an evil expression.

When Keith came out the second time, Natalie felt embarrassment course through her again. "_Keith_," she hissed, trying to get his attention. She went to grab his arm to stop him from walking any further but he was too quick and sneaked past her grasp.

Casually, he walked over to the sales lady, putting on his best confused expression. "I really think something's wrong with these clothes…" he started, glancing at the jeans, which were still on backwards, but were now inside out as well. The shirt was now the right side out, but backwards.

The sales lady got an angry look on her face. "The jeans are inside out and on backwards, and your shirt is on backwards as well. You're just playing around. I don't have time for teenage pranks." She grabbed his arm, leading him towards the dressing room. "You need to get out of these, and leave before I call security."

Keith laughed. "Let me see you do that," he threatened. He shouldn't have done so, because the sales lady's eyes narrowed and she pushed him into the direction of the dressing room.

"Can you believe this store?" he asked Natalie seriously. "They make their clothes wrong, and then they call security on me because I'm playing around?" He shook his head.

"Keith," said Natalie narrowing her eyes.

"What?" he laughed, before walking into the dressing room.

Natalie rested her head in her hands in embarrassment. She was never taking him shopping with her again.

The sales lady must have been true to her word, because just as Keith walked out of the dressing room. his real clothes on the right way, an officer strolled over. "Hello, Officer," said Keith, squinting at the man's tag, "Morgan. That's not a very manly name for an officer, I don't think. What do you—"

Officer Morgan cut Keith off by grabbing his upper arm in a strong hold. "You're leaving," he spat out while glaring. "You're causing too much trouble," he stated angrily as he began dragging Keith away. Quickly, Natalie stood up and followed them, making sure she was a few feet away.

"So, Officer Morgan," started Keith. "How're you doing on this fine day?" he asked cheerfully.

The officer glared over to Keith, not pleased. "This isn't a place to joke around," he growled.

"I was and am not joking around," said Keith, smirking. "Just because this store makes clothes the wrong way…"

Officer Morgan didn't comment. With a still angry face, he continued to drag Keith towards the exit. Once they arrived, he let go of Keith and pushed him out of the automatic doors. "Don't come back," he snarled.

"Have a nice day, _Morgan_," laughed Keith, waving to him. The officer looked like he wanted to do something particular violent to Keith, but instead resisted and stalked away.

Natalie waited until the officer was out of sight, before crossing her arms against her chest, and glaring at Keith. "What?" started Keith, looking at Natalie. "That wasn't my fault. Those jeans were…"

A slow, devious smile spread across Natalie's face as she pulled her body flush against his and began playing with the button on his jeans. "You're right, Keith. It_ isn't_ fair that they kicked you out because Dillard's makes their clothes wrong. I guess we're just going to have to stop by a few more stores until we find one with quality products."

Keith's face turned horrified as his smirk faded.

* * *

"He did what?" asked Brooke, glancing at Natalie with a shocked expression. "You really got kicked out?" she glanced over to Keith who was grinning.

"Yup, it was hilarious," said Keith sounding quite proud. Natalie stopped so quickly, that Keith bumped into her.

"And just think," Natalie started wistfully, "about how much more shopping we're going to get to do because of your wonderful little prank."

Keith's eyes narrowed as Natalie stalked away with Brooke, a satisfied smirk on her face.

Travis and Keith tried to catch up. "I was just trying to have some fun at this place," yelled Keith, trying to get Natalie's attention. "You always take me here and force me to look at clothes and it's just so boring."

"I'd have to agree with the guy," spoke Travis. "This place is worse than work. At least at work I make money." Travis turned to Keith. "You got any other pranks I could use, man? For a later date?"

Keith nodded, and began to explain, to Travis, in full detail a prank he could pull. Once Keith was done explaining Travis and Keith glanced in front of them to see their girlfriends, standing in front of them with pissed off expressions.

"Don't even think about it," hissed Brooke. "If you do anything else we'll make you come to mall every day for three months. Understand?"

Both Keith and Travis's eyes became wide, and they nodded, looking quite frightened at the prospect of spending more time at the mall.

They spent the next few hours shopping, and luckily Brooke's threat was enough that they behaved themselves quite well. At one vintage store, Natalie had tried on a really cute jacket that was grey, with a bit of purple and pink in it. The jacket fell to below her knees, and then tied at the waist. She intended on buying it, until she looked at the price. Even though she worked at Hooked on Books a lot, she didn't want to spend half a month's paycheck on a jacket. With the jacket pushed to the back of her mind, she instead bought some cute shirts, some jeans, and some cute high heels (Keith approved).

With only a few more stores to stop at, Brooke and Natalie decided to get some lunch. They choose a popular Chinese place that was in the food court. Brooke and Natalie spent lunch talking about the clothes they bought, school, and what other things they were going to do together while Brooke was home from school. Natalie heard Keith and Travis talk about video games, and was happy that they both seemed to be getting a long and had something in common.

It wasn't until they were about to throw their food away, that Natalie noticed Keith had barely touched his. She gave him a concerned look, while asking, "Are you full?" It wasn't normal for him to not eat his lunch, but she wasn't as surprised as she thought she would be with his lack of appetite. She couldn't help but notice that he hadn't been eating much in the past few days.

"Yes," he said slowly, glancing at her with a look she knew all too well. He didn't want her to make a scene.

"Dude, can I have it, then?" asked Travis, glancing at the food with hungry eyes.

"Sure, man," said Keith, pushing over his full plate of Orange Chicken.

"Did you not like it?" asked Brooke, glancing at Travis with disgust as he began to devour Keith's food.

Keith turned to look at Brooke, shaking his head. "No, it was good. I just wasn't that hungry," he stated.

Natalie knew this conversation was over, so didn't say anything more. A few minutes later, Travis was done eating, and they all stood up, reading to finish shopping.

"So, can you we go to that sports store now?" whine Travis, glancing at Brooke.

Defeated, Brooke nodded, glancing over to Natalie. "I'll just meet you guys at Victoria's Secret in about a half hour, how's that sound? No idea how long he's going to take."

Natalie nodded. "Sure, no problem."

Natalie grabbed Keith's hand as she began walking. "Are we going to Victoria's Secret?" he asked.

Natalie nodded. "Yup, if you don't want to come in you don't have to."

Keith didn't answer and instead asked, "Are you going to try anything on?" he asked seductively, a sexy grin adorning his face.

"No," said Natalie.

His grin disappeared, and was replaced with a pout.

As soon as they walked to Victoria's Secret, Keith grabbed Natalie's arm and directed her to the lingerie section. "I think you need some more," he started. "I love that one you have, but what about this," he said with a huge grin, holding up a black lace lingerie outfit.

Natalie shook her head. "No way, there's like nothing to it!"

Keith smirked. "Exactly, which is why it's perfect. Try it on," he said, handing it to her.

Shaking her head, she went to go place the lingerie back on the rack, but Keith stopped her. "I tried on those clothes…."

Natalie huffed. "You haven't tried on any clothes since Dillard's, and there you played around!"

"Did not!" he argued. "They were made wrong!"

He gave her his best puppy dog face, which he knew Natalie couldn't resist. "Fine," she glared. "I'll try on this stupid piece of fabric," she snarled before stomping into the dressing room, followed by a very satisfied Keith.

"Let me know when it's on," called Keith as she closed the door to her dressing room. "So I can check it out."

Natalie glared at the door and she began putting on the stupid piece of lingerie. It didn't take long since it wasn't made out of much. She took a chance to glance in the mirror and rolled her eyes in disgust. This was not good. There was no way she was going to let Keith see her in this. "Done yet, Partner?" called Keith, breaking her thought.

"Yes," she mumbled. "But, I'm not showing you!"

"Please," he begged. "Don't you want to make the mall a fun place for me?" he argued.

"Fine," she said, and she swore she could hear him grin. Timidly, she opened the door and let him in. As soon as he saw her his eyes misted over.

"God, Partner," he growled walking over to her and pinning her to the wall, placing his hand next to her head. "This makes me want to do naughty things to you."

"Don't you always want to do naughty things to me?" she fought back in a seductive voice.

"Yes," he growled. "But, this is just too sexy." Suddenly, he kissed her. She knew they were in a dressing room, and shouldn't be doing this, but with the way he was kissing her, there was no way she was going to stop. Whenever he kissed her, it seemed like her thoughts and choices, which were normally rational, changed to irrational ones.

Which is probably the reason why she allowed Keith to begin undoing the clasp on the lingerie, and to pull it fully off. Her irrational mind was taking over, and she slowly undid the button of his jeans.

He lifted her up, whispering into her ear, "We haven't done it in a dressing room before..."

And, irrationally, she complied.

* * *

"Jingle bells, jingles bells, jingles bells—hey!" sang Melanie as she danced around the store, placing Christmas decoration any place that caught her fancy.

Natalie bit back a laugh, as she glanced up to Melanie. "Do you know any of the other words to that song other than the jingle bells part?" she asked.

Melanie stopped singing, "No, not really. Want to sing it for me?"

"Absolutely not," said Natalie shaking her head. "I've reached my limit when you had me do the Princess Reading Group thing."

Melanie nodded. "I guess that's true. That reminds me, why hasn't Keith stopped by lately?"

"Probably because the last time he was here you made him dress up as a prince with tights and talk to a bunch of younger girls for two hours about his mission to kill a dragon," said Natalie, before she started laughing at the image of Keith dressed up. She didn't think she'd ever forget how incredibly embarrassed he had looked.

"Well," huffed Melanie, "you better get that boy in here again soon."

"Maybe when pigs fly," mused Natalie.

Melanie went back to singing, for a while until she was done decorating the store. "How's it look?" she asked.

Natalie glanced around the bookstore. She had thought Melanie had a lot of Halloween decorations, but that was nothing compared to her Christmas ones. She had two small trees, fully decorated with ornaments, tinsel, and lights. Then, she had dozens of lights hung up all over the store, that Natalie was sure would end up giving everyone a headache.

"It looks great," she stated.

Melanie clapped her hands together. "You can leave now if you want, I can close up by myself."

"Cool, thanks," smiled Natalie.

She was just about to grab her purse and leave when the phone rang. "Hooked on Books this is Natalie."

"Hey, Nats," spoke the familiar voice of her brother.

Natalie sighed irritated. "What'd you want?" she snapped.

"Geez, sis. I thought you'd be happy that your favorite brother is calling you," he said, trying to sound sad.

"What makes you think you're my favorite brother?"

"I'm you're only brother."

"And for that you're lucky. I'm not giving you any money by the way; if that's the reason you're calling."

Zach gasped audibly. "What makes you think I'd call you for money?" he asked hurt.

"Let me see, the past three times we've talked in the last week you've asked me for money.

Which, I will never give you. Go get a job instead of bribing off others."

Zach was silent for a while. "Geez, you don't need to be so mean, especially when I was calling you since you're boyfriend seems to be having or had a meltdown …"

"What?" asked Natalie.

"You're boyfriend has had a meltdown. Do I need to repeat myself?"

"What do you mean by meltdown?" asked Natalie, wondering if Zach was just fooling with her.

"Well," he started slowly, "let's see. After dinner, he took a shower and then something must have happened because we heard a door slam and when Mom went to talk to him he yelled at her, and told her he didn't want to talk to anyone. Of course, Mom's all worried, and thinks something's wrong, and said to see when you were coming home, which I hope is soon 'cause I'm getting really sick of Mom pacing around."

"Crap," said Natalie, wondering what could have happened. "Tell Mom I'm leaving soon."

"Sweet," said Zach. "Oh, and Nats?"

"What?"

"Can I borrow ten bucks?"

"Shut up," she hissed, before hanging up.

* * *

Sooner than she thought, she was home and standing in front of Keith's door, trying to decide the best tactic to try and talk to him. Deciding she wasn't going to ask if she could come in, she opened his door and walked in. He was lying on his bed, with the television on, and looked incredibly pissed off.

"What's up?" she asked, trying to act casual.

"Nothing," he mumbled. "Just watching this show."

"So, nothing happened today?" she wondered.

He turned to look at her. "Did they say something?"

"Who?"

"Your parents," he said with a roll of his eyes.

She didn't want to lie. "Yes, Zach called me…said that you were upset."

"Right," he said, keeping his gaze firmly onto the television. This bothered Natalie, so she took the remote from him and turned the T.V. off, hoping he'd talk to her, but instead he became interested in his comforter.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" she asked slowly, bending her head to try to look at his face. He was biting his lip, and his cheeks looked a bit flushed.

After a few seconds, he finally lifted his eyes just enough so he was staring into her own. "I think," he started, a flicker of something crossed his face and Natalie couldn't tell if it was sadness, embarrassment, or both, "my hair's falling out," he muttered quietly.

"What?" asked Natalie, wondering if she heard right.

"I knew it…Everything's going to change now."

"What makes you think anything will change?" she asked gently.

He shrugged. "I don't know."

"You don't know what?"

He sighed, rubbing his face with the palm of his hand. "I just…at least with my hair I _looked _normal even if I didn't _feel _normal. Now, everyone's going to know I'm the sick kid."

"And there's something wrong with that?" wondered Natalie.

He shrugged. "I'm kind of tired."

"Don't you want to talk about this, Keith?"

He lied down, pulling the comforter over him. "Not really," he said softly. "Well, not right now, but maybe later. Is that okay?"

Natalie lied down next to him, placing her hand underneath the cover so she could run her fingers softly down his arm. "Whenever you're ready," she whispered.

* * *

The next week passed slowly. Keith's spirits seemed to have fallen and Natalie knew everyone else in the house realized it as well; Natalie was just thankful they didn't say anything about it and left Keith on his own when he was in a particularly bad mood.

With only a week left till Christmas Natalie had spent the last few days buying Christmas presents for her family, and hanging up decorations around the house with Cynthia. Today, after Natalie had helped Cynthia make cookies, she went upstairs to get Keith. He had a doctor's appointment today to discuss his latest blood tests with Dr. Normandy. She hoped he had something good to tell them both, she didn't know how much more bad news she or Keith could handle.

When she told him it was time to go, he didn't speak, and he didn't speak the whole way to the hospital either. To her, it seemed like he was expecting to hear some bad news at his appointment. She knew he had been in a bad mood all week, but this topped off all of the days. Once she parked the car at the hospital, she glanced in his direction. He was leaning his head up against the passenger's window staring outside at the clouds.

"Are you ready?" asked Natalie softly.

He sighed, backing away from the window, and unbuckling his seatbelt. "Yeah," he muttered, quickly getting out of the car, and making his way into the hospital without waiting for Natalie.

She caught up to him quickly, but figured it was best to leave him alone for the time being. She knew his bad mood was somehow related to his appointment, and hoped it'd go away afterwards.

As soon as they signed in, a short nurse motioned for them to follow her into a small room.

Natalie sat down in an empty chair, while Keith sat on the examination table. "I'm just going to do some basic tests to make sure everything's okay. How's that sound?" she asked, almost a bit too cheery. Natalie figured the nurse could sense Keith's depressed mood as well.

Natalie watched with careful eyes as the nurse took Keith's blood pressure, weight, temperature, and checked his breathing through a stethoscope."All done," she smiled. "I'll just hand your results to Dr. Normandy and he should be in shortly."

They waited quietly for a few minutes for Dr. Normandy. When he entered he took the last remaining seat, facing Keith. "How've you been, Keith?" he asked, while glancing over Keith's file.

Keith shrugged. "All right, I guess."

Natalie saw Dr. Normandy's normal smile, turn down to a frown. "All right?" he repeated, glancing at Keith with concern. "What's that supposed to mean, Keith?"

"I'm fine, all right? Look, I have things I need to do today, so could you hurry it up?"

Dr. Normandy glanced at Natalie, who only shrugged, before he glanced back to Keith's file. "Well, Keith, I have some good news. Your blood tests came back great, and it seems the higher dosage of chemo is working wonderfully." He glanced up to see Keith's reaction.

The corners of Keith's mouth curved up into an almost smile. "Really?" he questioned, as if he was being fooled.

Dr. Normandy nodded. "Really, everything looks great. The only thing I'm concerned about is your weight. You've lost a considerable amount since last time we met. Have you been eating?"

Keith bit his lip. "I guess…sometimes…I don't know. Food has kind of made me nauseous lately. Natalie thought this explained why he didn't eat much of his food at the mall, and his servings during dinner at home had been considerably smaller.

"Keith, I know I've stressed before how important it is to get a least fifteen hundred calories a day. You need to eat to get energy, and it helps your body stay healthy. Chemo, as you know, greatly lowers your immune system."

"I know," sighed Keith. "I'll try to eat more, I promise."

Dr. Normandy turned to Natalie. "Make sure he eats, okay? Even if he doesn't want to. If he's not eating a lot make him things that are high in calories."

"Okay," smiled Natalie. "I can do that."

"You've got yourself a good girlfriend," smiled Dr. Normandy, waiting for a response from Keith. When he didn't get one he cleared his throat and asked, "Keith, is something bothering you? Something you'd like to discuss with me?" he asked.

Keith shook his head, and made a point to keep his gaze firmly on his lap. "No, not really."

"Well, if there's anything you need to ask me or speak with me about you can call me. If it's an emergency you can—"

"I think my hair's falling out," he finally blurted out. "But, I'm—I'm not sure." Shakily, Keith took off his beanie, which he had been wearing for the past week.

Natalie saw a flicker of sadness cross Dr. Normandy's face, before he got up and walked over to Keith. Silently, he ran his hand through Keith's hair to inspect it.

It was a tense few seconds before Dr. Normandy sat back down. "Keith," he spoke carefully. At the tone in his voice Keith squeezed his eyes shut and uttered a very faint "no." "I'm sorry to say, but after your next treatment which is scheduled just after the New Year, it's going to fall out. I'm really sorry."

Keith sighed, opening his eyes. "But why? Why now? I thought I was at least lucky in the respect that I got to keep my hair."

"Honestly, Keith, I don't know. Something must have just triggered it. My advice would be to shave it before the treatment. Most chemo patients feel that they at least have a sense of power over their disease if they are the ones to shave their hair."

"Okay," he muttered. Natalie watched his actions through sad eyes.

"Also," started Dr. Normandy trying to brighten up Keith. "Many chemo patients find it empowering when they shave their hair off. Many of them tell me it's like a new beginning."

"Everything's just falling apart," he whispered, before glancing at Dr. Normandy with sad eyes. "Are we done?" he sighed, resigned.

"Yeah, Keith, we're done," frowned Dr. Normandy.

Keith leap off of the examination table, and quickly walked out of the room. Leaving Dr. Normandy and Natalie alone. "Natalie?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't worry too much about him. It takes a lot of patients some getting use to the idea. I think he's just shocked, since he didn't lose his hair the first time he did chemo, and it's been a while since we've started it now. He probably thought it wasn't going to… but he's a strong guy, he'll get over it quickly enough. Just give him some time. I just have one word of advice."

"What's that?" she pressed.

"Make sure that Keith knows that losing his hair won't change anything, especially things with you. Right now, you are one of the few good things in his life."

The last comment made Natalie smile for a few seconds before she asked, "Why would he think I'd care?"

"Most patients who lose their hair worry more about what people will think of them rather than how it affects them."

Natalie nodded in understanding. "Thanks," she whispered. "I'll let him know."

He smiled, as he watched her stand up to leave. "Have a good Christmas."

"You too," she smiled, before walking out to find Keith.

* * *

Natalie found Keith outside, leaning up against the brick wall of the hospital. As soon as she caught sight of her, he began walking towards the car.

However, just as Natalie was about to get into her car, she heard someone calling Keith's name from behind her. She turned around, wondering who it was, and smiled when she saw Al running over to them.

"Hey, Al," she smiled. "How're you?"

He stopped, leaning up against her car to catch his breath. "I'm good. I've been looking all over for you guys."

"Oh, why?"

"I wanted to give Keith this," he said, showing Natalie a package that was wrapped in Christmas paper.

She smiled, hoping that this would cheer Keith up a bit. "He's in the car. Let me get him." She opened her door, and poked her head in. "Keith?"

"What?" he sighed.

"Al's here, wants to give you something."

He averted his eyes, and didn't speak for several moments. "Okay," he finally muttered. Natalie waited until he opened his door before she stood up.

Keith walked over to where Al was standing. "Hey, Keith. How're you doing?" he asked. Keith leaned up against the car, keeping his gaze away from Al. "That good, huh?"

Keith shrugged.

"Well, maybe this will cheer you up," he said, handing Keith the package who took it hesitantly. Keith stared at it, and finally Al said, "Open it."

Keith did slowly, and when he finally saw what it was he swallowed thickly. Natalie thought he looked like he was about to cry. "How'd you know about this?" he asked, voice cracking.

Al gave Keith a small, sad smile. "I just know these things. I figured you'd want it. Billy would want you to play it."

"Yeah," mumbled Keith, "he would."

"What is it?" asked Natalie softly.

Surprisingly, Keith spoke up. "Billy and I use to play videogames together all the time. And we had this favorite and the third one just came out," he mentioned. "We would joke with each other to see who was going to be alive to play it. It was stupid, but I guess it let us cope," he said, before giving Al a grateful look. "Thanks. It means a lot. See you around, Al."

Al and Natalie were quiet until Keith got back in the car, then Al spoke up. "If he ever needs someone to talk to, let him know he can call me, okay?"

"I will. He's just going through some hard times, I guess. He'll be back to normal soon, I hope."

"Well, I'm here if he needs me," said Al. "Have a good Christmas, Natalie."

Natalie waved at him as he walked away, before getting back into the car, and driving away.

* * *

That night, Keith didn't join the family for dinner. So, later when everyone was sleeping, Natalie made him come out of his room and sit down at the kitchen table while she made him something to eat. She didn't think he had eaten anything for a least a day.

Remembering Dr. Normandy's instructions, Natalie decided to make mashed potatoes which seemed to be Keith's favorite with cream instead of milk since it was higher in calories.

"Here you go," she smiled, setting the bowl of mashed potatoes in front of him. "If you eat all of it I'll make you a milkshake."

At this he perked up, bringing the bowl closer to him. "Really?" he asked, before taking a bite.

Natalie nodded, sitting in front of him. "Yup, I can make really good chocolate ones."

"Everything that you make that's really good has chocolate in it," he stated.

Natalie shrugged. "What's wrong with that? I just happen to like chocolate a little bit."

"Quite a lot's more like it."

Natalie giggled, stealing the spoon from Keith to try out her mashed potatoes. "That's pretty good, if I do say so myself."

Keith grabbed the spoon from her, nodding. "I also forget the great mashed potatoes you make…but maybe they don't count since they're instant."

"_Keith_!" she admonished, trying to hit him on the shoulder, but he backed up in his chair, successfully getting out of the way.

"You should have seen your face. You looked so pissed," he laughed, shaking his head. "I know just the buttons to irk you."

"No, you don't," she glared.

"Oh, really?"

"Yup," she said. "You better be careful what you say or there's no milkshake for you."

At this he shut up.

A few minutes later, Natalie nervously spoke up, "So, are you feeling any better today?" she asked hesitantly.

"What do you mean?" he asked, trying to look confused. "I've felt fine today."

"Keith, that's not what I mean and-and you know that."

He sighed, busying himself with another bite of his food. "Oh," he said nervously. "Right."

Figuring that he wasn't going to prompt the conversation, she decided to start what she knew she had to say. "Keith, I know you're upset about your hair." He glared into his bowl. "But, I want you to know—I'll only love you a _little bit _less because you don't have hair."

Keith's eyes flew to hers in shock, his mouth gaping open.

Natalie tried to keep her face serious but her eyes danced with humor. "You're not the only one who knows what buttons to push."

Keith couldn't help the amusement that spread across his face.

"But seriously, I hope you already know that I'll love you just as much with or without it, and no matter what I'll always be here with you, right?"

At these words, his famous crooked smile appeared. Natalie hadn't seen him smile like that in a week, and she felt herself grin back at him. Looking into her eyes he whispered, "Thank you."

* * *

Natalie was grateful that after their conversation the night before, Keith's spirits seem to rise. It was a quiet Monday afternoon, and Natalie didn't have to work today so she decided to spend it relaxing and reading.

Keith walked in just as she finished her book. "How's the truck?" she asked, sitting up.

He grinned. "She's good," he said, sitting down next to her.

"You know," mused Natalie, "I just don't understand how you can work on a truck so much. Is there really that much stuff to fix?"

Keith gave her a confused look, before bending down and kissing her on the cheek. "My, my, Partner, you have many things to learn."

Natalie giggled. "Are you going to teach me, then?"

"Definitely," he smiled, before sitting up. "I'm gonna change. Are we still going to that movie later on?" he asked.

She nodded, before getting up off the couch, he followed suit. "Yup, I was thinking," she started slowly, leaning forward and kissing him. "That maybe, if you're good, we could leave now and go get ice cream."

His eyes shined. "Really? I thought you said getting ice cream in November was dumb," he reminded.

She pulled away. "I said that? You go get changed, I have to go get the mail."

He nodded, grin on his face, before he disappeared upstairs to his room. Natalie put on her jacket before making her way outside to the mailbox. As she was walking back, she began to look through the mail to see if anything was addressed to her, but she stopped when a particular letter caught her eye.

It was addressed to her parents, but it was from Memorial Hospital Cancer Center. Why would her parents be getting mail from the hospital Keith went to? She stopped walking, glancing around her to see if anybody was outside and watching.

Before she had time to tell herself that what she was about to do was stupid, she did it. Carefully, she opened the envelope, and her heart began to beat erratically at the words.

_Dear Mr. and Mrs. Anderson,_

_Enclosed is the receipt of payment for Keith Zetterstrom's medical services for the month of October. If you have any questions don't hesitate to call, and we'd be happy to assist you._

_Have a wonderful holiday._

_Sincerely,_

_Memorial Hospital Cancer Center_

_(618) 338-5678 _

Breathing deeply, Natalie carefully put the letter back in the envelope, and made her way back to the mail box, putting all the mail back into it. It would look too suspicious if she brought the mail in, hopefully they'd just think it got opened while being delivered. For some reason, her parents didn't want to her to know they were paying, and for the time being she'd like them to think she didn't know.

Slowly, she walked back into the house, hoping she still didn't look as shocked as she felt. "Partner? What took you so long?" asked Keith as he got up from the couch. "Where's the mail?" he added.

She glanced up at him, shaking her head back and forth. "Oh, mail, that…I—there wasn't any."

He walked over to her, glancing at her with concern. "Are you okay? You look like you just saw a ghost."

Nodding, she answered, "I'm fine, honest." She smiled at him, hoping it didn't look too forced.

He didn't look so sure. "All right, if you say so, but I think I should drive…" he mused, as he grabbed her hand and led her to his truck.

While Keith drove to the ice cream shop, she couldn't stop thinking about that letter. How could her parents afford Keith's medical bills and what made them decide to pay for it? Whatever the reason, she didn't know how she was ever going to thank them enough. They were giving her one of the most important pieces to complete her life.

Keith.

* * *

**A/N:** _I'm so sorry for the wait. I've started classes this week and there's been way more homework than I thought. Since school has started, expect the updates to probably happen more towards the weekend and it may take me longer than a week (shouldn't take any longer than two). For that, I am really sorry. If, for some reason it has taken me longer than two weeks (which it shouldn't), just check my profile for the status of the next chapter._

_Thanks again for reading and reviewing—it means a lot!_


	18. From Your Heart

**A/N: **_Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! Warning, there is a scene of sexual nature in this chapter!_

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* * *

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**Chapter Eighteen: From Your Heart **

The week before Christmas passed rapidly. Natalie still couldn't get the letter from Memorial Hospital Cancer Center out of her mind, and knew that she was going to have to talk to her parents about it and soon—there was no way she could hold the information inside any longer. Really, all she wanted to do was tell them how thankful she was for what they were doing for her and for Keith. Even with this new bit of information, she knew there was no way she was going to tell Keith; she had a strange gut feeling inside of her that if he found out her parents were paying, he'd feel guilty and stop the treatment.

And there was no way she was going to risk that.

Natalie had spent many nights during the past week driving Keith around different neighborhoods to check out the Christmas lights. She loved doing it because his mood would brighten up considerably as soon as he caught sight of the first house. And every time they got him, he would be constantly smile his eyes would hold their normal spark that she missed greatly.

Natalie's family had just finished eating Christmas Eve dinner and everyone was making their way into the living room, with the traditional hot chocolate in their hands. However, just as they got comfortable, the doorbell rang. Everyone glanced at each other wondering who it could be.

No one stood to get up, so finally Natalie turned to her brother and said, "Zach, go answer the door."

Zach glared at her. "No way. You do it."

"You're the closest," she stated simply.

Everyone glanced over to Zach expectantly, before he huffed loudly and stood up mumbling, "Everyone always gangs up on me," as he walked to the front door.

A few seconds later, Zach came walking back in the room, strange expression on his face, followed by April, carrying a tray of cookies, her face holding the same strange expression as Zach.

"Hey," said Natalie, smiling at the unexpected visit from April. "What's up?"

April took a step further into the room. Zach stood behind her, and he couldn't seem to who take his eyes off of her. "I brought you guys some Christmas cookies," she said, turning around a little to hold the tray out to Zach. "Try one," she whispered, blush rising on her face.

Zach grinned at her, before picking a cookie shaped as a candy cane. His took a huge bite, still keeping his gaze on April. "Those are bomb." he said.

"Really?" squeaked out April. "I'm glad; it's a new recipe. I added some cinnamon to them to give them a kick."

"You made them?" he asked.

April eyes shined as she grinned. "Yup," she said, before turning to face Caroline and Pete. "Sorry, if I intruded, I know it's Christmas Eve and all. I would've brought these over earlier, but my Mom ate the first batch, so I had to make more. I just wanted to bring these over for"—she stopped to glance up at Zach shyly—"everyone," she finished weakly.

Zach took another cookie before saying, "Well, you're welcome over anytime," he grinned, before he hurriedly added, with a hint of a blush rising on his face, "cookies and all…"

"Well, you're welcome over to my house anytime you want..." said April, before suddenly bringing a hand to her mouth and turning to look at Natalie desperately.

Quickly, Natalie stood up and dragged April, by her shoulder, into the kitchen. Natalie grabbed the plate of cookies from April and set them on the table once they entered the kitchen. "Thanks for bringing these. They look—"

"I can't believe I just acted like a complete freak! But-but your brother is _so_ hot. No, no—hot doesn't even begin to describe him. Sexy, at least," nodded April. "Why didn't you tell me about him?" she whispered, checking behind her to make sure no one was eavesdropping.

Natalie shook her head. "Please April, not Zach. _Anyone_ but Zach."

"Why not?" she asked, biting her lip in confusion. "He's got the sexiest grin _ever_. I literally almost melted when he answered the door with that grin. He has this really shy aura about him," she bent lower to whisper into Natalie's ear, "but he's probably really wild behind closed doors."

"Ew, April, please," said Natalie backing away from her. "This is my brother we're talking about. Plus, you've only met him for like thirty seconds—what made you deduct all of this information in that small amount of time?" she asked, grabbing a paper plate and putting some of the cookies on it.

"Because," started April with a roll of her eyes, "I just know these things. You have _got_ to hook us up."

"No way," said Natalie, shaking her head as she tried a cookie. "I am not setting up my gross, annoying, arrogant brother with my friend."

April didn't seem to listen to Natalie's last comment and instead stated, "You have to talk to him for me. Please," she begged.

"Why don't you do it yourself? He's in the next room," said Natalie.

April's grin faltered. "No way, that's not happening. I've just met him—I haven't even met him!"

"That's what I'm trying to say," said Natalie.

April nodded slowly, as if understanding Natalie's words. "There's got to be something in those cookies," she said, glancing at them fearfully. "I never act like this! It's probably 'cause I haven't slept in a while…too busy baking. I think I should go home err….get some sleep…"

Gently, Natalie placed her hand on April's back and led her to the front door. "I think that's a good idea. Just get some sleep. You're probably just really tired…no one thinks about my brother like that unless…they just _don't_." April nodded in agreement as she exited the door. "Thanks for the cookies," said Natalie. "Go get some sleep. Have a Merry Christmas," she said as she closed the door.

"Merry Christmas," said April, as she began to walk to her car, but she suddenly twirled back around to face Natalie. "Wait—" she hissed, just before Natalie closed the door. Walking up to the door, she whispered, "You _will_ tell me if he says something, right?"

"_April_."

Jumping up, April nodded her head. "Right. Sleep. Bye," she said, before walking back to her car as if in a daze.

Natalie made sure April carefully drove away before making her way back to the couch next to Keith, placing the tray of cookies in the middle of the floor. Casually, she went to take a sip of her hot chocolate, but she felt like eyes were staring at her so she lifted her gaze up and sure enough Zach was staring at her with glazed eyes.

"What?" she asked.

"Who was that?" he asked in awe.

Huffing loudly, Natalie answered, "I work with her—she's my friend." She took a sip of her drink.

"Can you hook us up?" asked Zach, causing Natalie to choke on her drink.

"No," she glared. "Don't even think about it."

"Why not?" he whined. "She's got the sexiest eyes…and she's a great baker, too."

"Zach," she said sternly. "_No_."

He glared at her once more before crossing his arms over his chest. "Fine, if you won't hook us up. I'll just go to her."

"You do that," said Natalie swiftly.

Cynthia finally spoke up, breaking Natalie and Zach's argument. "Can we open our present now?"

"Present?" piped up Keith. "Now?"

Cynthia turned to grin at Keith. "Yup."

"On Christmas Eve?" he asked confused.

Cynthia nodded. "We only open one on Christmas Eve; it's tradition."

"Oh, I see," said Keith, leaning over to Natalie and whispering into her ear. "I think we should make our own tradition later tonight," he breathed seductively, his breath tickling her ear."If you know what I mean..."

"Keith," said Natalie gently putting her hand on his chest to push him away. "My parents," she whispered, glancing over to them to make sure they hadn't heard the exchange.

He rolled his eyes, as he rested his back against the couch, but every so often he glanced over to her with a big lopsided grin.

Not being able to wait any longer, Cynthia began handing out a present to everyone; however, when she laid a present in Keith's lap, he looked up shocked. "You guys didn't need to get me anything," he said, glancing over to Caroline and Pete.

"Don't be silly," said Caroline. "Open up."

Everyone began ripping open their presents. Suddenly, Cynthia squealed and held up her present. "You got me the Hannah Montana pajamas with the matching slippers and robe!" she exclaimed happily, grabbing the robe and quickly putting it on.

"What'd you get?" asked Keith, looking at Natalie's present.

She held up a pair of silky dark purple pajamas with light purple slipper and robe. "Nice pajamas," smirked Keith. "I can't wait to see them on you…" he chuckled.

Natalie thanked her parents before putting her leaning her head on Keith's shoulder. "What'd you get?"

He moved the tissue paper out of the way, and his grin grew larger. "I'm sensing a trend here," he smirked, as he pulled out a pair of pajamas. The pajama bottoms were green plaid and the top was a long sleeved shirt that was dark green; he also got a black robe and slippers. "Thanks guys, these are great."

"We thought you needed something warmer, considering you like sleeping with the window open," said Caroline.

Keith grinned. "Yeah, I do," he laughed. "Thanks a lot."

Once everyone was done opening their presents, they quickly retreated to their rooms to put their new pajamas on. When everyone was back in the living room, Cynthia began rummaging through a pile of Christmas movies. Finally, a grin crossed her face and she walked over to the DVD player with her movie choice.

"So, what movie are we watching tonight?" asked Keith.

Cynthia sat back down on the floor, covering herself with her Hannah Montana blanket stating, "_How the Grinch Stole Christmas_."

* * *

On Christmas morning, Natalie awoke to soft lips kissing her cheek, when she opened her eyes she saw Keith grinning at her, his green eyes sparkling in excitement. "Hey," he said.

Natalie rolled over to face him. "Hey," she smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him on the lips before she regretfully got out of bed. Natalie pulled on her new robe and put on her new slippers. She glanced at Keith who was lying on his back, looking at her upside down. "Nice pajamas," she said before kneeling down a little and kissing him on the forehead.

"I like yours better," he said. "They're all silky and look easy to take off…"

Natalie blushed before she suddenly got onto the bed, and straddled him; she bent down to touch her lips against his. She brought his bottom lip between hers and sucked gently, causing him to moan against her mouth. She let go of his bottom lip and he took his tongue to gently tease her, before darting his tongue into her mouth.

They kissed heatedly for a few minutes, before Natalie kissed him once more on the lips trailing her kisses down his neck and to his collarbone—a place she knew drove Keith crazy. As soon as she kissed a particularly sensitive spot, he groaned. "Partner, are you trying to drive me crazy?" he grunted.

She kissed him once more, before she lifted her gaze to meet his sparkling green eyes. "Merry Christmas, Keith," she whispered, before standing up and exiting her room, leaving a stunned and wide-eyed Keith behind.

* * *

"What took you so long?" asked Natalie coyly as Keith finally joined the family in the living room a good ten minutes later.

He glared at Natalie before he sat down, with a blush on his face and said, "There were just some things I needed to take care of," he mumbled.

Natalie glanced at him, biting her lip. "Wonder what those things were..." she said, but Keith gently hit her on the shoulder, effectively silencing her.

"Who's going to be Santa this year?" perked up Cynthia.

"Santa?" inquired Keith.

Cynthia nodded. "Yup, Santa. Don't you know?" Keith shook his head. "Well, every year we choose someone to be Santa. They wear the Santa hat and they are the person to hand out the presents. Zach was Santa last year," stated Cynthia, her eyes grew wide as a thought struck her. "Mom, Keith should be Santa!"

Keith looked shocked, and a tad embarrassed, but before he could speak up Caroline did. "That's a great idea," she smiled.

Cynthia quickly grabbed the hat and placed it on Keith's head. "You look sexy," said Natalie inspecting him.

He smirked. "So, what should I start with?" he questioned.

Natalie indicated to four stockings on the couch behind him. "The stockings," she said causally.

Keith turned around to where Natalie was indicating. The stockings were so full that stuff was already spilling out of them. He dispersed the stockings to their owner, but when he came to the last stocking, he halted, glancing at the stocking with a look Natalie couldn't place.

Cynthia sensed Keith's hesitant and stated, "Santa knew that you were here, Keith. Isn't that cool?"

He nodded slowly, before picking up the stocking gratefully. Natalie watched out of the corner of eyes as Keith, instead of opening of the stocking, he was slowly running his finger across his name that was sewn on the front of his stocking. He glanced up to Natalie, giving her a small smile before he finally began opening it.

Once, the stockings where opened, they began on the presents. Keith picked up the first present, a gift for Cynthia, and as soon as he handed it to her, she grinned and began ripping the paper off.

At the sight of the present, Cynthia's eyes got wide and a huge grin graced her face. "No way," she squealed. "You got me a Hannah Montana comforter." She glanced up to see her parents nodding, smiling faces. "Thank you so much! I've _always_ wanted one of these."

"Cynthia, you want everything Hannah Montana," chimed in Natalie, grabbing the present from Cynthia to get a better look at it.

"So? Everything on my list was Hannah Montana, anyways," she informed.

They exchanged gifts for a while, before Keith handed Cynthia a package, stating, "This is from me." He eyes lit up wider than they had for any other present.

"Really?" she asked and as soon as Keith nodded, she torn open the package. "Oh my god. You didn't," she exclaimed.

"I did," said Keith.

"What'd you get her?" asked Natalie.

"He got me Hannah Montana karaoke!" As soon as Cynthia said this groans were heard all around.

"You do realize that she's going to want all of us to sing it?" piped up Zach.

Keith nodded. "Yup, it'll be fun."

Cynthia stood up and hugged Keith tightly around his neck. "Thank you so much! Open mine now. From me. It's the blue one."

Keith grabbed the package and slowly opened it. "You got me all the Hannah Montana Cds?" he said, and a real smile graced it face. "Thanks a lot, Cynthia."

"You like it?"

He nodded. "Of course, it's the best present." At this, Cynthia couldn't contain her excitement and squealed.

For the next two hours Keith passed out presents. Natalie's parents had given Keith a whole assortment of winter clothes, telling him that he needed to stay warmer. Natalie had gotten some clothes as well, and some books but her by far favorite present was the jacket she had eyed at the mall a few weeks ago when she went shopping with Brooke, Travis, and Keith. The present was more special when she found out that Keith was the one to tell her parents about it; she hadn't know he had even been paying attention. When she voiced this he had responded with, "When it's you, I always pay attention." She kissed him openly in front of her family after that.

They had finished opening their gifts, and everyone had gone to take their presents up to their room while Keith was helping Natalie put away the wrapping paper. "So, when are we going to exchange our gifts?" she asked, tossing the last bundle of paper into the trash bag before walking over to him and wrapping her arms around him.

"Later," he said. "At our spot."

* * *

Natalie spent the rest of the afternoon reading one of her new books, while Keith and Cynthia played Hannah Montana karaoke.

A few hours into her book, Natalie felt someone cover her eyes and whisper, "Guess who?"

"Um, I dunno…" she laughed. She knew who it was, and not by just his voice, she could always tell when he was around; it was like she could sense his presence. The hands were taken away and she saw Keith come around the couch and sit next to her. "Did you know it's snowing?" he asked.

Excited, Natalie put down her book and glanced outside. "We haven't had snow on Christmas in years," she smiled.

Keith gave her a lopsided grin. "Let's go outside."

"We can make snow angels," voiced Natalie, as she got up. "Oh, did you call your dad?" she asked hesitantly, knowing that the topic kind of upset him.

Keith shrugged. "Yeah, I've been trying all day but he won't answer. Probably stuck at work," he sighed. "I'm sure he'll call later tonight."

Wanting to change the subject quickly, Natalie grabbed Keith hand and led them into the front door where they put on their winter clothes before making their way outside. It had snowed quite a lot already, and there was already enough on the ground so Natalie could make her snow angel.

Just as she was about to get up, she felt something hit her hard on her side. "Keith," she yelled, but it came out almost as a laugh.

He was a few feet away from her. "Now, we can have a proper snowball fight, without the skates," he said before throwing a snowball at her again, which hit her on the leg.

"This is war," she yelled after him as he ran down the driveway.

They fought for a good ten minutes, and Natalie had yet been able to hit Keith with a snowball, while she was already soaked. He was much better at this game without the skates.

Finally, she grabbed a huge handful of snow, and waited until Keith's back was turned before throwing it, and it hit him squarely on the shoulder. At the impact, he fell to the ground dramatically clutching his shoulder. "Ow, I think you broke my shoulder," he whimpered as Natalie stood over him, hands on her hips. At her complete lack of sympathy, he pouted even more.

Sighing, Natalie sat down, straddling him like she had earlier in the morning. "Let me guess, you want me to kiss you to make the pain go away…"

He nodded, and she bent down to give him a light kiss on the lips, when she sat back up he was grinning. "I think that worked."

"That's 'cause my kisses are magic," she stated.

"Like my fingers?" he stated.

"Keith," she said, hitting him the chest, which just caused him to laugh harder.

Natalie bent down to kiss him on the lips again, effectively silencing him; however, when the clearing of a throat caused Natalie to jump up and she saw Henry standing there with a huge grin on his face.

"Henry," she squeaked out, wondering if he had heard their earlier conversation. She was still blushing greatly, when she felt Keith stand up quickly, causing her to fall onto the ground.

"Dad," said Keith, happiness radiation from his voice, as he hugged his dad tightly.

"Sorry about breaking that little…session up, but I haven't seen my son in a while," he said as he wrapped his arms around Keith.

Natalie smiled at their exchange as she stood up, dusting the snow off of her. "How about we go inside, it's warmer in there," she mentioned.

Henry nodded, and Keith pulled away, his eyes shining in happiness.

* * *

Henry was greeted warmly by Natalie's family as they all sat down in the living room to talk. Natalie sat in the chair next to the couch, letting Keith sit next to his dad. They hadn't been talking long before Cynthia came walking into the room her arms loaded with Hannah Montana DVDs. She stood right in front of Henry with a very serious look on her face. "What's your favorite Hannah Montana episode?" she asked.

Henry blinked, staring at Cynthia confused. "Who?" he asked, glancing around for some help, but everyone just tried to hide their smiles at Henry's complete lack of Hannah Montana information.

"I knew it," she said, shaking her head. "That's why I brought these to watch," she said, dropping the DVDs into Henry's lap. "Pick one to watch first."

"First?"

She gave him a dumbfounded look. "Yes," she said slowly. "First. You have to watch them all."

"I do?"

Cynthia huffed. "Yes, Keith has."

Henry looked over to his son. "You have, Keith?" he laughed.

Keith nodded. "Yes, I am sure I have half of them memorized."

Henry glanced down at the pile and finally picked a random DVD, and Cynthia excitedly started it.

The afternoon passed quickly as everyone talked with Henry, and Cynthia kept putting new episode of Hannah Montana in, even though no one was watching. Finally, she gave up and went upstairs. Natalie couldn't help put hold back a grin when she noticed Keith had fallen asleep, his head resting on Henry's lap.

"So," started Caroline softly, not wanting to wake Keith up. "I didn't bring this up because I didn't want to upset Keith, but do you know how much longer you'll be in Michigan, Henry?"

Henry sighed audibly. "Not really. This project is taking much longer than anyone intended, but at least it's going well. I'm really sorry, I know I told you guys it'd only be a few months. If it's getting to be too much trouble to watch him, he can go home."

"Don't even say that," interrupted Pete. "He isn't any trouble at all."

"I don't know how I'll ever thank you guys enough. You're making things for me way too easy," he chuckled.

"I don't think having a child with cancer is all that easy," spoke Caroline softly.

"No," frowned Henry, "it's not. But thanks all the same."

"It's nothing," stressed Caroline, standing up. "Well, I'm going to start dinner. You're staying right, Henry? We won't take no for an answer."

"I guess I'm left with no choice," he humored, as Caroline exited the living room with a smile.

Pete chuckled. "I wouldn't miss Caroline's cooking for the world. Excuse me, I should go help her," he said, standing up and walking into the kitchen.

"I'm glad you could make it," mentioned Natalie, turning in her seat to get a better look at Henry.

"Me too," smiled Henry. "I didn't think so at first, but this one guy I work with found out about Keith and told me to get to my son or he'd find someone to fire me," he chuckled. "It's the small acts of kindness that are the most meaningful, don't you think?"

"Yeah, you're right," agreed Natalie. "He's really excited you're here, though, he's missed you."

"I've missed him more than anything. It's hard not to be here for him during all of this. How's he doing by the way?"

"Other than the news about his hair, okay, I guess. Has he talked to you about it?" she wondered.

"Oh no. I had to pry it out of him. He tells you way more stuff than me."

"Really?"

Henry nodded. "Yeah, he's always held his emotions in, but for some reason you get him to open up to you."

"Wow," said Natalie, not realizing how much Keith really opened up to her. "I had no idea."

Natalie watched Henry stare at Keith for a while before a slight grin crossed his face and he glanced back up to her and randomly said, "One time, on Christmas, when Keith was about six," he reminisced, "his mom and I left him to play with his presents while we started making dinner. And a few hours later we realized that we didn't hear him anymore, but when we went to go find him we couldn't. Sandra and I searched the house for hours, before we found him fast asleep behind the tree using wrapping paper as a blanket."

"Really?" said Natalie. "That must have been so cute."

"Yeah, it was—after our hearts stopped racing. I kept thinking of the worst possible situations that could've happened to him, but all that time he was safe, behind the tree. Ever since that day, I told myself I would do everything in my power that I could to make sure he was safe, but you know what, Natalie?"

"What?" she whispered.

"The thing is, no matter how much I tried and made sure he was safe, it wasn't enough. He got sick and no amount of checking on him could prevent that from happening. I don't know why I'm rambling like this," he muttered.

"It's fine," said Natalie, averting her gaze from Henry to Keith. "Sometimes you just have to get things off your chest, I suppose. And why not now?"

"Yeah," said Henry, "you're right. Anyways, Natalie, I wanted to say thank you."

She lifted her gaze from Keith. "For what?" she asked.

"For being with him, through all of this. Some girls would run away, but you didn't—you were brave and stayed. So, just…thanks," he said sincerely.

Natalie felt tears blur her vision, and she quickly blinked them away. "It's nothing," she said. "I don't think anyone or anything could tear me away from him. He's everything to me."

"And you're everything to him," he smiled, before shifting slightly. "I'm losing feeling in my legs," he stated.

"Need me to help?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Na, I've had years' experiences in this situation," he stated before quickly and carefully getting up and laying Keith back on the couch without waking his up. "Well, I'm going to check Cynthia's Hannah Montana stuff out before she drags me up there."

"All right," said Natalie. "Have fun." She watched him walk upstairs to Cynthia's room, before standing up, and grabbing a blanket to cover Keith. She kissed him on the forehead before making her way into the kitchen, ready to have the one conversation with her parents that she had been aching to do for a week.

"Hey," she said, walking into the kitchen and sitting down at the table where both her parents were sitting at and chatting. "Can we talk about something?"

"Sure, sweetie," said Caroline. "What is it?"

Natalie licked her lips nervously. "Well, there's something I need to admit to." She ran a shaky hand through her hair.

This caused worried expressions to cross her parents' faces. "You're not pregnant are you?" blurted out her mom.

"Mom, good grief. I want to talk to you guys about something and you think I'm pregnant?"

Caroline shrugged embarrassed. "It was the first thing I thought of…"

"Well, I'm not, okay? It's nothing like that," reassured Natalie. She cleared her throat before speaking. "You know that letter that you guys got a week ago? From Memorial Hospital Cancer Center?" They both nodded. "And you know how it was opened?" They nodded again. "Well, that was me…"

"You opened it? Why?" asked her mom, luckily not angry.

Natalie shrugged. "It was the little things really, that started making me think. The canceling the trip to Paris, the strange phone call."

"Strange phone call?" asked Pete.

Natalie glanced up. "Yeah, they were calling from Keith's hospital asking for you. Really, after that I thought it might be possible, and then I saw the letter and I had to know."

"Why didn't you just ask?" wondered Caroline.

"Because, for some reason you didn't want to tell me," stated Natalie.

"We should have," said Caroline, "but we thought it was better this way. It's not that we didn't want you not to know."

"Does Keith know?" asked Pete.

Natalie shook her head. "No way. If I told him," she lowered her voice, "if I _tell _him, I'm afraid he'd stop the treatment. He'd feel guilty, 'cause that's the way he is. So, I think the secret should stay between us three," she gave them both a watery smile.

"I think that sounds like a good plan," said Caroline.

Natalie smiled. "Ever since I found out I just wanted to run up to you guys and say 'thanks'. So," she said her voice tight, "thank you."

Her parents smiled in return. "We had to, once we saw you guys together, it was heartbreaking," said Caroline.

"Saw us, when?"

"At the hospital. The time you went back after you got kicked out. We walked in on you guys crying, and after we saw that, we talked about paying, because we couldn't handle the thought that the only reason he was dying was because he didn't have money for treatment. It wasn't really a question after that, really."

Natalie felt tears fill her eyes. "I don't think I can ever thank you guys enough."

"There's no need to, dear. He's a great boy—a great man, for you. He treats you well, and we couldn't wish for a better guy for our daughter," said Pete.

Natalie gave them both a watery smile, before whispering, "It's weird, but he completes me. I feel so alive, I feel—it's just right, _everything_ is right with him."

Caroline smiled at Natalie's statement, before saying, "That right there, Natalie, is what you call love."

* * *

That night after dinner, Natalie and Keith were finally able to get away and go to their spot. Bundled up in their new coats and winter gear, they got out of Keith's truck and sat down, leaning their backs up against a rock. "So, I'll go first," said Natalie handing Keith two presents.

He opened the first one which was a bunch of video games. "Zach helped me pick them out; I had no clue what you liked."

"They are great," he smiled. "They'll keep me busy. Thank you, Partner," he said, kissing her on the lips.

"There's more," she said. "Check inside."

He did so and placed his hand in the bag only to retrieve it with a white slip of paper. Curious, Keith opened it and when his eyes trailed over the words, a huge grin crossed his face. "You got me a truck magazine subscription?"

Natalie nodded, scooting closer to him. "Yup, I figured it could be your test to actually start reading something…"

Keith chuckled. "I don't know….reading kind of hurts my eyes," he joked.

Natalie just laughed, shaking her head at his statement. "Okay, next," she said, pointing to the tinier package. He picked it up and carefully unwrapped it and when he saw what it was, a bigger grin that the previous present graced his face.

"It's when we were at—"

"The truck show," he finished or her, glancing down at the picture. "The frame is beautiful, Natalie," he stated, glancing at the black frame and silver frame. "Thank you," he said, bending down and giving her a very soft, but very romantic kiss.

"I love you," she whispered.

"Your turn," he said, handing her a small gift. He watched her with careful eyes as she opened the tiny box, and when she took the lid off, she felt her eyes get wet with tears.

"Oh my god, it's beautiful," she spoke. Attached to a silver chain was the infinity symbol and at each end of the silver symbol there was a tiny white diamond

"It was my mom's," spoke Keith in a rush as he clumsily grabbed the necklace from Natalie and motioned for her to turn around so he could put it on. "I thought it was fitting, you know? For us."

"This was your mom's?" she asked, fighting back tears.

Keith nodded. "Yeah, she used to wear it all the time."

"And you're giving it to me?" she sniffed.

"Yeah, I want you to have it," he stopped, looking a little nervous. "You like it, don't you? I know it's not much."

Natalie nodded, tears filling her eyes. "It's the most beautiful and best present anyone has ever given me."

"Really?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yes," she smiled. "And you want to know why?"

He nodded, gently grabbing the side of her face to lean in for a kiss. "Why?" he whispered, lips becoming closer. "Because, Keith, it came from your heart."

* * *

After they opened presents, they had grabbed the blanket from inside Keith's truck and snuggled up under it. They sat there for a while, talking about mundane things when finally Keith spoke up, his voice serious and hesitant. "Can I ask you something?"

At the sound of his voice, Natalie took her head from its resting position on his shoulder and said, "Sure, anything."

He wouldn't look at her. "It's um…It's about my hair."

"Yeah?" said Natalie softly, surprised that he was suddenly talking about this one subject that he seemed so keen on avoiding.

"Well, you know how Dr. Normandy said I should shave my hair off before my next treatment?" Natalie nodded. "I-I want to."

"Okay," said Natalie softly. "Just tell me when and I'll be there, if you want me to." She tried to check his expression, but he was still looking at everything but her.

A few seconds later, he began nervously fidgeting with his shirt as he finally turned to glance into Natalie's eyes. His green eyes were shinning with seriousness…and almost a bit of hope. "There was something I was wondering about that, though," he said nervously.

"What's that?" she asked quietly.

He exhaled loudly before finally speaking. "Do you think you could do it for me?"

"Really?" asked Natalie shocked.

He nodded. "Yeah, I mean you don't have to or anything, but I just thought—" She lifted up her arm to place her index finger on his lips to silence him.

"Of course I'll do it," she whispered.

A small smile grew on his face and against her finger and in a soft voice replied, "Thanks."

Natalie lowered her finger, resting her head back on his shoulder. "When do you want to do it?" she asked a few minutes later.

A few minutes later he softly said, "I was thinking New Year's Eve."

"Like a new beginning," said Natalie.

Whispering back he said, "Exactly."

* * *

The six days before New Year's Eve passed quickly. Melanie and told Natalie to take some time off for Christmas, so she hadn't needed to go back to work. She had never been more thankful for a job; now that she wasn't going to work to break the monotony up in her day, she thought that she was going to go crazy just sitting at her house. She didn't know how Keith could stand sitting around at home all day.

When New Year's Eve finally arrived, Natalie could feel the nervousness radiating off of Keith the whole day. Keith seemed to be relieved when she told them that no one was going to be in the house when they were to do it; she sensed that he was glad that they would be alone during such a personal moment. They had decided to do it right before midnight. Natalie began getting stuff ready in her bathroom at eleven that night and when it was half to midnight, she decided to go and find him.

He wasn't hard to find, as he was sitting in his room. She walked in slowly a small frown gracing her lips. "You ready?" she asked. He bit his lip as he nodded, following Natalie into her bathroom.

When they entered, and Natalie turned to glance at him, she felt her frown deepen. He looked so upset, and so vulnerable that she just wanted to hug him and never let go. "I was thinking you'd just sit on the toilet, with your back facing me. Okay?"

He sat down and silently Natalie grabbed the shaver that was sitting on her sink, but as soon as she did Keith spoke up. "Just give me a minute, k?"

"All right," she responded, holding the shaver limply at her side.

He stared at himself for a few minutes, and Natalie could tell, just by looking at him through the mirror that his mind was full of serious thoughts. "Just do it," said Keith, finally. "I just want to get this over with."

Natalie bit her lip at Keith's behavior. "Sweetie, remember what Dr. Normandy said about embracing this."

He glared into the mirror. "Well, that's stupid! He's never had to go through this so he knows _nothing_."

Natalie knelt down next to him, taking his hand into hers and rubbing the back of it soothingly. "I know this is hard—really hard for you, but it's going to be all right."

His glared softened and he muttered words so full of pain and sadness that they broke Natalie's heart. "But, I _like _my hair."

"I know," she said. "I know you do."

He took in a shaky breath, and Natalie just hoped he wasn't about to cry. Luckily, he didn't and instead he glanced once more at himself in the mirror before mumbling, "Just do it, _please_."

Natalie nodded, letting go of his hand and standing up. "Ready?" she asked one more time, and when he nodded, she placed the shaver on the top of his and quickly began working.

She wasn't sure how far she had gotten, before she noticed that Keith had tightly closed his eyes. She wanted to tell him that it would be better to watch, but she didn't say anything. Fifteen minutes later, she set the shaver down on the sink. "Done," she whispered. She heard him breathe in deeply before he opened his eyes, slowly.

He didn't stare at himself for more than a few seconds, before he stood so up so suddenly that it took Natalie a few seconds to register that he was leaving. "Where are you going?" she asked, running after him. She caught up to him quickly, and grabbed his gently by the wrist to stop him. He turned around to look at her, his eyes focused on the floor. "Keith?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Just going to my room," he mumbled.

Sighing, Natalie walked closer to him, moving his hand she was still holding to rest on her hip. She stood so close to him that their chests were touching. "Why?" she whispered, her breath tickling his cheek.

"Because," he muttered. He tried to back away, but she wouldn't allow it.

"But, it's New Year's Eve, almost midnight to be exact. Don't I get my kiss?" she whispered seductively, bringing her hands to touch the side of his face. She brought her lips so close to his that they were just barely touching. She teased him for a few seconds before gently grabbing his bottom lip between hers.

She felt him tensed, and inwardly sighed. Letting go of his lip, she lightly trailed his lips with her tongue, before suddenly and aggressively forcing her tongue into his mouth. Not being able to resist her, he began kissing her back and as they continued to kiss, Natalie grabbed the belt loops of his jeans, leading him to her bed. When his knees hit the side of her bed, she let go of the belt loops and pushed him down into a seating position.

Straddling him, she grabbed his shirt and in a swift motion, his shirt was off and thrown carelessly onto the floor. Keith did the same to her, and as she began to slowly take off his belt he unclasped her bra.

"Off," she whispered into his ear. They changed positions so she could take off his pants. She smiled as she bent down to grab his bottom lip in between hers and sucked gently. While they were kissing, Keith gently maneuvered her, so she was lying on her back, and with a quick motion, he unzipped her pants and impatiently took them off.

They continued kiss, before Keith ground his hips into hers, Natalie pulled Keith closer, fingering the band of his boxers. "I love you," she whispered. "No matter what."

Keith made a restrained noise, as he smoothly covered them with a blanket, before he whispered, "Thank you."

* * *

When Natalie awoke the next morning, Keith arm was wrapped around her waist, holding her tightly. She smiled for a few minutes, before regretfully lifting his arm off of her. She sat up, satisfied that she hadn't woken him up and attempted to get ready for the day, letting him sleep in a little.

Just as she was done getting ready, she saw him turn onto his back and let out a deep sigh before he opened his eyes. Smiling, Natalie finished putting her hair into a ponytail before she got on her bed on her knees and crawled over to him, kissing him on the lips before saying, "I smell breakfast," she said. "I can save you some bacon so you can sleep in a little."

"No," he said, sitting quickly. "Will you wait for me?" he asked.

"Sure," said Natalie softly, wondering why he wanted her to wait. Her suspicions were answered when he quickly found his beanie and put it on, and then checking himself in the mirror, before declaring her was ready.

"You know they're not going care, right?" she asked.

"I know," he mumbled, but didn't sound so sure.

Natalie was right, when Keith entered the kitchen where her parents and Zach were, they glanced at him for only a few seconds, but nothing was spoken.

As Natalie began filling her plate, she got a good look at Zach. He was holding ice to his head, and sipping his cup of coffee slowly. "Hangover?" said Natalie.

"Don't talk so loud," he grumbled, moving the ice to the other side of his head.

Natalie giggled, as she finished filling her plate. She took the plate of eggs and handed it to Zach. "Want some?" she asked.

Zach glanced at the food, and swallowed thickly before glancing away. "Get that away from me. I'm going to hurl."

Natalie snickered before placing the plate on the table. Everyone began talking about their New Year's Eve night, but was silenced as Cynthia came walking in through the front door, dropping her sleepover bag on the ground before joining everyone at the table.

Cynthia was just about to grab some bacon, but when she finally glanced at Keith and her mouth gaped open.

"Hi," said Keith, blush growing on his face.

"What happened to your hair?" she asked, her eyes were wide, not leaving his face.

Keith dropped his fork, and kept opening and closing his mouth, trying to find the right words to say. "I had to shave it, Cynthia," he said seriously.

"But why?" she asked, getting an incredibly worried expression on her face.

"Because, it was falling out because of the medicine I have to take," he stated his cheeks completely red from embarrassment.

Cynthia's reaction was different from anything Natalie had expected. She glared at Keith, before yelling, "I _hate_ you! Now, you're not going to look like Jesse anymore!" Keith tensed up and a look of intense hurt crossed his face.

"Cynthia," reprimanded Caroline. "That was uncalled for, apologize to Keith right now."

"_No_!" she screamed. "I want him to leave—now! I don't want him to be here anymore!"

Keith lowered his gaze to his lap, the hurtful look on his face getting more intense with every word Cynthia spat out.

"Just leave! I _don't _like you anymore!" she screamed again, causing Keith to visibly flinch.

Keith glanced up to everyone, muttering, "Excuse me," before he quickly left the table making his way quickly to his room.

"Cynthia," said Caroline, "you go right upstairs and apologize to him. You've made Keith very upset."

"I don't care," she yelled, before suddenly getting up and running out the front door.

Pete and Caroline went to stand up but Natalie stood up. "No, let me go talk to her," she said softly.

Her parents nodded, and Natalie silently made her way outside. She found Cynthia sitting on the bench, her arms crossing her chest. Natalie sat down next to her, noticing even though he face held a look of anger, she could see a hint of sadness creeping through.

"Cynthia," started Natalie. "What just happened in there?"

Cynthia shrugged. "Nothing. I just don't want him to live here anymore."

"Just because he won't look like Jesse?" questioned Natalie.

Cynthia bit her lip, and Natalie could see her blinking rapidly. "No," he whispered. "That's not really why."

"Then why?"

"He's going to die, isn't he?" she finally blurted out. "You never told me he was going to die—just that he was sick! I didn't know it was that bad!"

"What makes you think Keith's going to die?"

"'Cause," hissed Cynthia. "It'll just be like that girl at my school. She had to shave her hair, and then a few weeks later, she died. It's how it works. If you're hair falls out, you die!"

"Cynthia, just because Keith had to shave his hair off, doesn't mean he'll die."

Cynthia pouted her lips, still glaring. "Yes, it does. It's how it works."

"Cynthia, do you understand what Keith has?" she asked, regretting that no one had sat down with her and told her exactly what was wrong with Keith.

"No, but I know now. He has cancer, doesn't he? Like that girl at my school."

"Yes, he has cancer, but it doesn't mean he's going to die. It just depends on the person."

Cynthia glanced over to Natalie, her eyes filling with unshed tears. "But he could?"

Regretfully, Natalie nodded. "Yes, it's a possibility."

"Well, then I don't want to see him anymore!"

"Why not? It would make Keith very upset."

"Because, now I love him and he could die. I just want to stop loving him so if he does die it won't hurt! So, if he leaves I won't love him anymore."

Natalie felt a tear slid down her cheek. "It's not that easy, Cynthia. You can't just make him leave, and expect to stop loving him. It's not that easy."

"It's not?" she sniffed. Natalie shook her head. "But I'm scared," she admitted.

Natalie licked her lips before speaking. "You can't just stop loving someone because you're scared that they'll leave you."

Cynthia bit her lip, in deep thought. "Oh."

"I'm scared, too, Cynthia."

"You are?" she asked in awe.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I going to run away. Keith needs us now more than ever."

"Really? Even me?" she wondered.

"Especially you," said Natalie.

"I didn't mean to say those things. I was just scared and upset," she admitted.

"I know, but you know who really needs to hear that?"

"Who?"

"Keith."

Cynthia nodded. "What if he hates me?"

Natalie stood up. "He won't hate you, I promise. I'll go with you, how's that sound?"

"Okay," said Cynthia following Natalie into the house and up to Keith's room.

Natalie knocked hesitantly, but got no response. "Keith, it's me. Cynthia wants to talk to you."

Silence.

Natalie opened the door, surprised to find Keith not in his bed, but on the floor with his back resting against his bed. He didn't say anything as both Natalie and Cynthia sat on either side of him.

They sat there for a few minutes, before Cynthia finally spoke up. "Did I make you cry?" she asked. "Your eyes are kind of red."

Keith shook his head, didn't say anything, and moved his gaze to his lap.

"Keith," said Cynthia. "I wanted to say I'm really sorry." This got Keith's attention and he brought his gaze up from his lap to look over to Cynthia. "I didn't mean anything I said. Do you know why I said all those things?"

"Why?" asked Keith softly.

"'Cause I was—am—scared."

"Scared of what?" prompted Keith.

"Scared of you dying. I don't want you to die, 'cause I love you and I thought the easiest way to stop loving you would be to say those things. Do you forgive me?"

"Yes," said Keith. "I forgive you."

"I'm sorry for making you sad," said Cynthia.

"I'm sorry for scaring you," said Keith.

"It's okay. Do you maybe want to go to a movie today?" wondered Cynthia. "We could get popcorn with lots of butter, just the way you like it and those sour patch kids that you like, too."

"I think that sounds like a plan," replied Keith, a smile finally appearing on his face. "What'd you think, Partner?"

"I think it sounds perfect."

* * *

That evening, after dinner, Natalie was busy surfing the Internet, when her phone rang. "Hello?" she answered.

"Natalie," said a very serious voice that sounded like April or Dawn, Natalie couldn't distinguish between the two. "I've made a decision."

"Who is this? April or Dawn?"

The person on the other line huffed audibly. "This is April. As I was saying, I've made a decision."

"And what's that?" asked Natalie distracted.

"At first, I thought the whole thing with your brother with just my over tired brain, but I can't stop thinking about him and that grin. Seriously, I think I've had dreams about that grin."

Natalie groaned.

"Shut up and listen," said April. "I have to come up with a plan so I can reel him in."

"Do I even want to know what your plan is?"

"You're making it sound like it's bad! It's nothing but using my simple amazing baking techniques and some extra low-cut shirts and some tight tight pants."

"And you think that will work?"

"Duh. So, I'm calling you 'cause I need to know what your brother's favorite dessert and favorite color is."

"I'm not sure—"

"Tell me," hissed April. "Or-or else!"

"Fine," sighed Natalie. "His favorite dessert is cheesecake and favorite color is green. That's all I'm saying, nothing more."

April squealed. "Thank you so much! Soon, he'll be mine," she squealed.

"Let's hope not," muttered Natalie.

"What was that?" asked April.

"Nothing," smiled Natalie. "It was nothing."

"Well, I'll talk to you later. Have to get started on my plan! Talk to you later!"

"Bye," said Natalie, glancing at the phone for a few seconds afterwards, wondering what crazy plan April was brewing.

She was sure she'd find out soon, too soon for her liking.

* * *

**A/N: **_Hope you enjoyed it! Thanks again for reading and reviewing!_


	19. Beautifully Broken

**A/N: **_I'm so sorry for the delay! Thanks so much for sticking with me and for all of the reviews! I love you, guys! Just a warning, there's a scene of sexual nature in this chapter and use of strong profanity._

_

* * *

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**Chapter Nineteen: Beautifully Broken**

January passed by uneventfully. Natalie had begun her normal schedule at Hooked on Books, and was very grateful to be working more—there were only so many days she could sit and home and do nothing. She was also immensely pleased to see that Keith was used to having no hair. For the first few weeks after she had saved it, he seemed extremely embarrassed about it, and wore a sweater with the hood on constantly, but suddenly one day he stopped, and everything seemed to be getting back to normal before he had shaved it. Thankfully, Cynthia seemed to have gotten over it as well, and everything was pretty much to the same routine as it had been before the holidays.

April had yet to follow through on actually 'reeling Zach in' which was starting to drive Natalie crazy. April was stopping by almost every day with some knew cake or cookies she had baked. And Natalie knew she only baked, to check Zach out. Whenever Zach and April were in the same room they couldn't keep their eyes off each other. Even though Natalie didn't necessarily want her friend dating her brother she just wanted to go up to them and say 'Get it over already!' obviously they had some strange connection, and she just wanted to stop seeing them walk around each other with lust-filled eyes, it was getting to be ridiculous.

It was a few days before Valentine's Day and Natalie had just parked at the hospital to pick Keith up. She was unfortunately unable to stay with him since she had work, but she still wanted to make sure she he didn't drive home after his treatment.

When she walked into the hospital, which was decorated with hearts and teddy bears for the holiday, she glanced around looking for any sight of Keith. She knew they were supposed to meet in the waiting room, since she remembered reminding him about a dozen times. Frowning slightly, she glanced around once more before walking up to a nurse and asking, "Hey, um, do you know if Keith Zetterstrom is done with his chemo treatment yet?"

"One second, dear," said the cheerful nurse, whose name Natalie remembered as Emily. Emily got up from her chair and began talking to another nurse who was faxing something. A few seconds later Emily sat back down. "He's been done for fifteen minutes," she stated.

"Really?" asked Natalie, turning around to glance around the room once more. "I don't see him…" she mumbled quietly.

Emily noticed Natalie's wandering eyes. "He's actually still in the room, dear. Asleep. We didn't have the heart to wake him up," she noted. "First room down the hall to your left."

Natalie grinned. "Thanks a lot."

Quietly, she opened the door to Keith's room, not wanting to startle him awake. He was fast asleep on the small hospital chair, his head resting uncomfortably on his shoulder. She walked up to him, and gently shook his shoulder. "Keith, time to wake up," she whispered.

He let out an irritated moan, and mumbled something incoherent, before moving his head off his shoulder, but not opening his eyes. He sighed loudly, and licked his dry lips, before finally cracking opening his eyes. Natalie frowned slightly when she saw exhaustion radiating from them, "Hi," he mumbled with a sleep-filled voice.

"Hey," she smiled slightly. "Tired?"

He yawned, swallowing thickly. "Yeah...tired." Suddenly, he sat up, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand, before slowly getting off the hospital chair, and locating his hoodie. Once it was on, he glanced up at her with half-open eyes. "Can we go?" he asked, yawning again.

"Yeah," replied Natalie, glancing at him and trying to study his expression. Was he not feeling well? Or was he just, simply, tired? She hoped it was only the later. But his behavior on the way to the car made her think otherwise. He was quiet and was moving quiet sluggishly. When he finally got into the car it took him awhile to get comfortable with his forehead resting on the window, and his eyes closed.

Thinking that he had fallen asleep, Natalie turned down the music, making sure it wasn't distrusting him; however, fifteen minutes later he changed positions again, and swallowed thickly, before asking, "Do you have any water?" He kept his eyes closed.

Natalie frowned. "No, sorry." He gave her a distressed moan, and she finally took her attention off the road to finally glance at him. The color on his cheeks seemed to have all but diminished, and he was now incredibly pale.

He was silent for a few minutes, before he weakly asked, "Can we stop somewhere?"

Natalie glanced at him again. "Sure," said a little confused at his request. "You want to get some water?" she guessed.

He moaned quietly, placing his arm on his stomach. "No, y-yes, it's just I don't feel well." He swallowed thickly. "I feel like I'm going to be sick," he moaned pitifully.

"Oh, shit," said Natalie, speeding up a little. "Just hang on, okay?"

He leaned his head up against the window, and swallowed thickly again. It was obvious to Natalie that he was trying hard not to throw up.

Five minutes later, just before the exit, he sat up and said, "Pull over, _please_. I'm going to be sick."

"Right here?" asked Natalie.

He nodded. "Just, anywhere…"

"Okay, j-just hang on," she said, trying to switch lanes as fast as she could without getting into an accident.

"Hurry," he moaned pitifully, as he unbuckled his seatbelt and placed his hand on the door handle, looking like he was ready to bolt. He swallowed thickly again.

Natalie pulled over just in time. As soon as she had slowed the car down enough, Keith threw open his door, and without getting out, leaned over the door and violently threw up.

Natalie closed her eyes against the sound, as she leaned over to gently rub his back in circles, hoping it would comfort him. When he was finished, he leaned back in the car, but kept his door open. "I'm sorry," he muttered, "I couldn't help it."

"Hey, it's okay. Do you feel like you're going to be sick again?" He nodded. "Do you think you'll be okay if I drive to a gas station?" He was hesitant, but finally nodded, as he closed his door.

It was good the gas station wasn't far away, because as soon as Natalie parked, Keith quickly got out of her car and made a beeline for the restroom. Figuring that he'd want something to drink, Natalie bought a bottle of water before walking to the bathroom she had seen him disappear in.

"Keith?" she knocked. "I got you some water. I'm coming in, okay?" She didn't get a response, so figuring it was okay, walked in. He was leaning up against the wall, close to the toilet and looked extremely nauseous. She knelt down next to him, and went to hand him the bottle of water, but he suddenly jerked and began dry heaving into the toilet.

When he was finally done he moved back into his previous position, and leaned his head up against the wall. Natalie silently handed him the water, and he opened his gratefully. Once he was done drinking, he handed the bottle back to her and said, "Thanks."

"Feeling better?" asked Natalie hopefully.

He gave a tiny nod. "Yeah, a bit," he said.

"You think you're going to be sick again?"

He shook his head, standing up, Natalie followed suit. "No, no, I think I'm okay."

"Ready to go home and sleep?" asked Natalie.

He gave her a tiny smile. "Yeah."

* * *

That night, after Natalie had just made it downstairs after giving Keith some soup, the doorbell rang. When she opened the door, the sight she saw made her gasp audibly and cover her eyes with her hand. "April!" she hissed. "What are _you_ wearing?" Natalie glanced at her through her fingertips.

"Oh, these?" she asked spinning around. "Are my _leather _pants." She placed her left hand on her hip.

"Leather pants?" Natalie choked out. "I can see almost all of your stomach! What kind of shirt is that!? It's February!" she asked, glancing at the low-cut green t-shirt April was wearing. Did it have to be _that_ low?

"This is my 'I'm going to finally make out with Zach' outfit. You like?" April grinned, walking forward and pulling Natalie's hand away from her face. "I also brought some cookies," she smiled, handing a bag to Natalie.

Natalie sighed. "More cookies? And what makes you think you'll finally make out with Zach?" That was just by the weirdest sentence she had ever said.

"Well, I was laying in my bed today, thinking about Zach and how sexy he is, when it hit me! My leather pants—tonight, Natalie, is D-Night." April pushed past Natalie and walked inside.

"D-Night?" asked Natalie, closing the front door and placing the bag of cookies on the kitchen table.

"Yeah, you know, like D-Day? But it's not day anymore, so it's D- Night, get it?"

"What makes you think that tonight is the night?" asked Natalie. "You really think those leather pants will work?"

April smirked. "Leather pants work wonders," she winked. Natalie didn't even want to ask April how she knew this.

April took the bag of cookies off the kitchen table and began placing them on a tray, when Zach walked in. "I thought I heard your voice," he grinned, as he walked up behind April, but when she turned around, his mouth opened wide and a tiny blush grew on his cheeks. He had a hard time keeping his gaze focused above April's chest.

"Hey," said April in a seductive voice. "I made these cookies just for _you_."

She handed him one, and he took a bite. When he swallowed he said, "You're—I mean _this_ is amazing."

"Really?" blushed April, watching Zach eat the rest of the cookie with sparkling eyes. "So, Natalie and I are going to watch a movie. Wanna join?" she asked hopefully.

Zach nodded as he followed April and Natalie into the living room. Natalie sat in the middle of the couch, with April and Zach on each side of her. She didn't want them groping each other or something while she was in the room with them, so sitting between them was the safest bet. "Zach," said Natalie, pick a movie," she said, fearing that if she moved, something she didn't want to see would happen.

Strangely, Zach complied and looked over to April. "Any movies you want to watch?" he asked.

"God," muttered Natalie under her breath as she watched April get Zach's help to pick a movie. It was disgusting the way they looked at each other. Did her and Keith look at each other like that? She seriously hoped not.

As Zach was putting the movie in, April turned to Natalie, "Where's Keith? He should come down and join us."

Natalie frowned. "Oh, he's sleeping. Not feeling well. "

"Ah, that sucks," said April, frowning. "Hope he feels better."

"Me too," said Natalie, frowning at how sick he had felt all day.

For the first thirty minutes of the movie, everything was fine. But soon, Natalie could see, from the corner of her eyes, April and Zach staring at each other. Every few minutes she could feel them scooting closer to her; she was beginning to feel incredibly claustrophobic. Finally, when Natalie felt Zach place his arm behind her just so he could touch April's hair, Natalie jumped up. This was _so_ wrong. "Who wants popcorn?" she asked, causing both April and Zach, who were now so close to each other that April was almost on Zach's lap, to glance up at Natalie with a strange expressions.

Didn't they care that she was _in_ the room?

"Me," said April, her voice quiet and distant. She glanced back at Zach, a sly grin on her face.

Zach seemed to be focused on April's tongue as she kept bringing it out to wet her lips. "Me, too," he finally said, waving his hand at to shoo her away.

Huffing, and thoroughly grossed out, Natalie went to the kitchen to make popcorn. The popcorn didn't take long, but when she walked back into the living room—there was a sight she didn't want to see.

"OH MY GOD," she screamed throwing the bowl the popcorn was in up in the air as she tried to shield her eyes away from the horrible sight of April straddling Zach as they both wildly made out. Zach, then, brought his hand to touch April's butt. It looked like they were about to go to second base _really_ soon. Gagging slightly, Natalie ran upstairs and into Keith's room, trying to get the horrible image of her brother and friend in that awful position out of her mind.

Running over to Keith's bed, Natalie pulled back the covers and got in. The movement, woke up Keith, because he turned around, and mumbled, eyes still closed, "What's going on?"

"You don't want to know," emphasized Natalie.

At this, Keith opened his tired eyes and said, "Please, tell me."

"Let's just say, I saw April and my brother in a _very _awkward position."

Keith chuckled. "So, they finally stopped staring at each other and got to business?"

"_Keith_!" admonished Natalie. "Trust me, after the sight I just witnessed I'm going to need months of serious therapy."

"Sorry, I missed it," he murmured, tiredly. His eyes were drifting closed.

"Trust me; I saved you from some serious horrible images."

Natalie scooted closer to him, and began running her fingers down his arm, thinking he was asleep, but a few minutes later he whispered, "It's nice, though."

"What is?"

His eyes were still closed. "That they found each other. That everything is so easy for them. You know what I mean? They don't really have any worries…at all," he finished.

"I know exactly what you mean," said Natalie.

And she _did _know exactly what Keith meant. It was nice to see a relationship unfold that wasn't centered on sickness and a looming cloud of possible Death.

* * *

The next day, Natalie made sure she avoided her brother at all costs. Of course, this was hard as they lived in the same house. So, whenever she did catch sight of him, he was grinning like an idiot and Natalie would get the horrible image back in her mind of him and April and she had to run out of the room he was in, or else risk some serious, permanent trauma.

It was nighttime, and Natalie had just gotten done making dinner as her parents were a work dinner, when Cynthia came walking in the living room with a list and two boxed of Hannah Montana Valentine's cards.

"Keith," started Cynthia. "Will you help me put these together? Tomorrow is when I hand out Valentine's stuff to people in my class," she said excitedly, dumping everything in her hand on Keith's lap.

"Really?" asked Keith. "Valentine's Day? When is that?"

Cynthia rolled her eyes at him. "Duh, it's Saturday," she said. "Don't you have plans for you and Natalie?" Keith looked a bit confused, and Cynthia took that as a no. "Well, you better, because you're boyfriend and girlfriend and you're supposed to go on a date on Valentine's Day. Anyways, will you help me attach these Hannah Montana stickers to each card? I also have the list of every one in my class." Cynthia sat next to him on the couch and began opening up the stickers and cards.

"Sure, I'll help," he said, checking to see how long the list was. "But, I don't like conforming to a pointless, useless holiday."

Cynthia stopped what she was doing to openly gape at him. "You think Valentine's Day is pointless and stupid?" she asked aghast.

Keith shrugged. "Yeah, I mean, why do you have to show your love on a particular day? I don't get it…I never really have. I just think it's an excuse so girls can make their boyfriends buy them chocolate and take them to dinner."

"Well, you better do something for Natalie, or she'll get mad and not kiss you anymore or something."

Natalie snickered.

Keith looked at Cynthia seriously. "That can't happen. Remember, I have to kiss Natalie a lot or I'll be taken away by scary people."

Cynthia bit her lip. "Oh, right. Well, then Natalie will take away Honeybun!"

At this, Keith looked a bit worried, and glanced over to Natalie who was watching the whole exchange with a huge grin. "You wouldn't really do that would you?" he asked.

Natalie shrugged. "I don't know…do you wanna find out?"

Keith's green eyes filled with a bit of fear, and he turned back to Cynthia, and asked, "So, what does one normally do on Valentine's Day?"

Cynthia glanced over to Natalie, and rolled her eyes. "Boys," she sighed seriously, shaking her head.

Natalie laughed at Cynthia's remark. "Yeah, Cynthia," she started, glancing at Keith, "_Boys_."

* * *

Natalie didn't think that Keith was going to do anything special on Valentine's Day, but when she woke up, the first thing that she saw was a red rose and a handmade card laying on the pillow next to her. Smiled hugely, she sat up, and picked up the card that was made out of yellow construction paper and opened it.

It read:

_Partner,_

_Will you be my valentine? Haha. I'm just trying to get the hang of this…'holiday'. Was that saying and the rose clichéd enough?_ _Anyways, I love you, times infinity, partner._

_Keith_

_P.S. This doesn't mean I'm conforming, 'cause I'm not!_

Natalie laughed at the card that only Keith would make and jumped out of bed, anxious to go thank him. "You're so sweet," she said after she jumped on his bed and kissed him a dozen times on the lips.

"You liked it, then?" he asked, his eyes shining as he sat up in bed.

"Of course, even though I don't believe you when you say you're not conforming," smiled Natalie.

He shrugged. "Well, maybe the holiday's growing on me," he weakly argued. Natalie rolled her eyes. "Plus, I can't have you taking Honeybun away from me, right?"

Natalie laughed. "No, we definitely don't want that happening. It would be tragic."

Keith sat up. "That it would. So, are you ready?" he asked, getting out of his bed and locating some clothes.

"For?" asked Natalie, surprised.

He opened a drawer before saying, "Today."

"Today?"

"Yes, today." He rolled his eyes. "It's Valentine's Day and I have something planned for us."

Natalie watched him closely, as he began getting dressed, wondering if she could figure out what he had planned. "Like what?" she finally asked.

"You'll see."

Natalie pouted. "Can't you tell me?"

He shook his head. "Nope, no can do."

"Just a little hint? A clue?" she begged.

He pulled on his pants and buttoned them before smirking. "Okay, one clue…"

Natalie grinned. "What is it?"

He walked over to where she was waiting, anxiously, at the foot of his bed. He bent down so their foreheads were touching. "The clue is that _I_ will be with you!" He kissed her forehead before pulling away.

Natalie smiled. "Man, that's a pretty big clue."

"Yup," said Keith, his voice muffled as he put on his shirt. "But, it's a great one, isn't it?"

Natalie stood up, walking over to him and kissing him on the lips. "It's not great, it's perfect."

* * *

Thirty minutes later, once Natalie had finished getting ready, Keith had blindfolded her and walked her to his truck. He wouldn't tell her where they were going, or what he had planned.

It was driving her crazy.

The ride hadn't taken more than fifteen minutes, when she felt the truck park.

"Can I take this off?" she asked excitedly, bringing her hands up to the blindfold, but Keith stopped her.

"Nope, not yet!"

Natalie frowned but did as she was told. She heard Keith get out of the truck, and get something from the bed of his truck, before he came over to the passenger to help her out of the truck. He held her hand as they walked a few feet, until he stopped and said, "K, don't open your eyes. I have to set it up first."

Natalie grinned. "Set what up?" she asked.

"You'll see," he said. She could tell he was grinning by his voice.

Five minutes later, she heard Keith walk over to her, and grab her hand leading her somewhere further, before she felt his soft fingers touch her face and lift off the blindfold. The sight that greeted her caused her eyes to water, and a huge grin formed on her face. They were at a tennis court, and in the middle of the court, right where they were standing, was a blanket and a picnic basket. "A picnic?" she sighed happily, standing on her tip-toes and kissing him.

"You like it?" he asked.

"It's perfect."

"Sit down," he advised, as she sat down on the blanket. He sat next to her before he grabbed another blanket and wrapped it around them. "Don't picnics normally happen during the summer?" questioned Natalie once they were warm.

Keith smirked at her. "Is that what it says in the official picnic rulebook?" he asked with his famous lopsided grin. This caused them to both start laughing. Finally, once Keith caught his breath, he dragged the picnic basket next to them. "You wanna see what I have packed?"

Natalie nodded enthusiastically.

He proceeded to take out the items. First, was a thermos of hot chocolate, with a bag of marshmallows; next, turkey sandwiches; and, for dessert, he had Natalie's favorite, chocolate covered strawberries. "Couldn't forget these," he said, indicating to the strawberries.

"It's perfect," she smiled, kissing him on the lips. "You're perfect." This comment caused Keith to grin.

They took their time and enjoyed their lunch. It was getting colder out, so Natalie had Keith scoot closer to her and they wrapped the blankets around themselves tighter. "Hey, I forgot. I have a present for you," he grinned.

Natalie took a sip of hot chocolate then glanced up at Keith. "Well, what is it?" she asked excitedly.

He bent forward and grabbed a small package that Natalie hadn't seen out of the picnic basket. On top of the present was a cute teddy bear that was holding a red heart that said 'I love you'. Natalie grinned at the bear. "It's so cute," she smiled, before gently taking it off the package and setting it on her lap before opening the present. Inside the package was a bunch of papers, and curiously Natalie began rifling through them to see what they contained. "Are these—"

"College application forms," he stated, a tad bit nervously."While you've been at work I've been using your computer and researching colleges that I think would be good for you, colleges you'd like," he added.

"But, I don't want to leave you," she frowned.

He grinned. "You don't have to, they are all nearby," he said, as he kissed her on top of the head. "I just think you should consider going to school in the Fall. We don't know how long I'm going to have to be getting chemo, and it's almost been a year, you need to start school. You can't keep waiting to go until I'm done with chemo."

This caused Natalie to smile, and she looked through the papers once more. "This is so sweet, Keith. It must have taken a lot of time."

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Not that long."

"So," started Natalie hesitantly, still thumbing through the application forms. "Do you know what college you want to go to?" She looked up, but he averted his gaze as soon as theirs met.

The expression on his face had changed, and he mumbled, "I don't really want to go to college. I don't really want to think about my future, I just like living every day as it comes, I guess," he started, keeping his gaze away from her.

"Keith." Slowly, he averted his gaze to glance into her eyes. "It's okay to be scared about your future," she stated, guessing this was what bothered him. "You know that, right?"

"I'm not scared of my future," he said with a bit of venom in his voice, but at the look on Natalie's face, he sighed and said, "Okay, fine, maybe I am…a bit. I just, I don't want to start planning my future when I'm not even sure the cancer will go away. I don't want to get my hopes up, and then find out that the chemo didn't work...again, like before."

"But it _is_ working," she fought. "Dr. Normandy has great expectations this time."

He gave her a sad tiny smile. "Yeah," he mused. "It _is_ working. It's just…hard because I'll never be able to hear 'Keith, you're cured, you can move on with your life, forget about this cancer,' because you're never cured, they just say 'I see no evidence' which just sucks..."

"Everything is going to work out, everything is working out, you'll see, okay?" He grinned at her. "Thanks for the applications, Keith. It was really sweet of you," she said, changing the conversation; she figured Keith didn't want to talk about it much, and she was okay with that.

"Any colleges look good?" he wondered.

"Well, the State school that isn't far from here does. They have a great English program," she said, finding the application and brochure and showing it to him.

"English?" repeated Keith, scrunching his nose in disgust.

"Yes, English. Believe it or not, Keith, some people like to read."

He mumbled something she couldn't understand. "What was that?" she asked.

"Nothing," he joked. "So, where's my present?" he asked.

"Oh, _you'll _get it," she smirked. "Later tonight." She kissed him on the lips, signaling to him exactly what her present contained.

Keith's expression changed from one of curiously to one want and need. "Tonight?" he asked his voice husky.

Natalie nodded, her eyes focused on his lips. They were so _perfect_. She brought her lips closer to his so they were touching just enough that she could tell it drove him wild. "Tonight," she breathed, before, not being able to wait any longer, grabbed his bottom lip between hers and sucked greedily. A few seconds later, she forced her tongue inside his mouth, wrapping her arms around his neck.

* * *

Natalie and Keith spent the rest of the day just simply talking at their spot. It was just what she had wanted, to spend a while day with Keith, alone, and talk. When it finally got dark, Natalie made Keith get into the passenger's side of his truck while she drove.

It wasn't until she turned down a familiar road that Keith said, "Are we going to my house?"

"Yup," said Natalie, turning into his driveway and parking.

"Why?" asked Keith.

"Because," said Natalie, unbuckling her seatbelt and bending over the middle of the seat to whisper in his ear seductively, "My parents are home, and there are some things I want to do with you… to you…that they shouldn't know about…" At this, Keith breathed deeply, and tried to capture her in a big kiss, but she pulled away.

"Hey," he whined.

"Come on," she whispered. "Let's go."

Quickly, he fumbled with his seatbelt and faster than she thought possible, he got out of his truck and ran to his front door, letting them both inside. As soon as they closed the door, Keith pushed her against the wall and captured her into a kiss. She placed her hands on his chest and regretfully pushed him away.

He glared at her.

"What?" said Natalie innocently. "I _need_ to change," she indicated, holding up a backpack.

"Change?" he asked, incredibly confused. "Why? I'll just take all of your clothes off in less than a minute, anyway," he smirked, as he tried to capture her into a kiss again.

"No."

"Partner," he growled, watching her retreat to the bathroom next to his bedroom. "Why are you doing this to me?" he whined.

She didn't answer. "I'll meet you in your bedroom," she said in a sing-song voice, as she closed the door on a bewildered and confused Keith.

Once she was in the bathroom, she placed her backpack on the sink and took out her special outfit. The outfit, she was sure Keith had forgotten all about, which was why it was perfect.

It took her a while to get dressed, but when she was finally done, she checked herself out in the mirror, hoping that Keith would like what she was wearing. She glanced at herself, once more, before biting back a smile as she knocked on Keith's door. His door opened quickly, and when he caught sight of her, in a tiny pleated skirt, a tight white button up t-shirt, black high heels, and white socks that went to her knees, his mouth gaped open and he looked like he couldn't formulate any words. "Partner," he finally choked out.

She leaned up against the door, grabbing the bottom of his t-shirt and pulling him close enough to her that she could whisper into his ear, "I think there are a few things that you need to teach me…"

She felt him shiver, as her warm breath tickled his ear. Natalie didn't wait for him to reply, instead, she grabbed the bottom of his t-shirt and roughly, in a few seconds, threw it off and tossed it carelessly on the floor. Keith went to kiss her, but she grabbed his hands and pushed him on his back onto his bed. She straddled him, and began kissing his collarbone as she began taking off his pants. Once they were unzipped, she moved so in one swift motion she had his pants off .

Not being able to stand it any longer, with strong arms, Keith grabbed Natalie by the waist, lifted her off of him, and placed her on his bed. He then straddled her, "Fuck, partner, you look so sexy right now."

Natalie blushed, as he leaned forward and aggressively captured his lips with hers. They kissed for a few heated moments, and Natalie felt Keith's hand roam up to her shirt and stop at her bra. Soon, her shirt was off and they were breathing deeply from the kissing.

"Keith," Natalie moaned, as she felt him grind his hips into hers. "I want you…now…" She placed her hands on his boxers and took them off.

He moaned deeply, and not soon enough they were finally moving as one. Their breathing increased, as Natalie wrapped her hands around his neck to greedily bring his lips down to hers. They kissed heatedly for a while, moving as one, until they both began slow down, and when Natalie moaned, Keith do so as well.

Natalie felt Keith tense up, and eyes fluttering closed, she said, "You're perfect; you're mine…always…"

"…and forever," he finished.

* * *

The next few days passed by quickly. It wasn't till later in the week that Natalie noticed that Keith's eyes didn't hold their usual sparkle and they always seemed to have circles under them like he wasn't sleeping. She tried to ask him about it, but he had yelled at her and stormed away. His reaction had shocked her, she had been pretty confident that their relationship was to the point where he told her things, but apparently he didn't feel the same. Part of this hurt Natalie, but then she tried to reassure herself that he would tell her what was bothering him when he felt was the right time.

Saturday night arrived and Keith still wasn't acting like, well, Keith. He had gone to bed early and Natalie hoped he'd finally get some decent sleep and wake up the next day in a better, more Keithlike mood. Natalie had gone to her room once he had retreated to his, to begin researching and filling out applications for the series of college applications Keith had given her.

It was nearing one in the morning when she got a strange feeling in her stomach; a strange feeling that something was wrong with Keith. She tried to forget about it, because she knew he was just across the hall, in his room, asleep; but after a while, when the feeling got more intense, she put on her robe and quietly walked to his room, figuring checking on him wouldn't hurt any.

She placed her hand on his doorknob and quietly opened the door, knowing that he wasn't getting much sleep, and didn't want to wake him up if she didn't have to. She let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding when she saw him snuggled underneath the covers, fast asleep. She stood at the doorway for a few seconds, watching him sleep, before she was satisfied, and began closing his door, but just as she was about to close it, she heard it.

A whimper.

Opening the door, she listened quietly, and heard it again, this time a little louder. She walked to the side of his bed, and kneeled down, getting a good look at his face. His eyebrows were knitted together and his bottom lip was quivering slightly as if he was holding back tears.

He whimpered again, and it was strained and hollow and just by the sound of it Natalie knew he was dreaming of something horrible. She scooted a little closer to the edge of the bed, just as he whimpered again. "Keith," she whispered. "Wake up, you're having a nightmare."

He didn't wake, and the whimpering seemed to get worse and more intense. Just as Natalie lifted her hand to run her fingers down his arm, she saw it.

A tear.

This sight caused tears to blur Natalie's vision. What was he dreaming about that was so horrible that he was crying? She began running her fingers down his arm, not sure how to wake him, not sure what his reaction would be. But, when another tear slipped out of his after another painful whimper, she, without thinking, shook him, just wanting to wake him up, and stop his suffering.

It was the wrong approach.

His eyes shot open, and he gasped loudly as he gripped Natalie's wrist tightly. He didn't look like he knew where he was for a few seconds, and Natalie began frantically whispering, comforting words, hoping that it would calm him down. "It was just a dream," she said, repeating the words he always said to her when she had her nightmares.

When his green eyes finally landed on hers he seemed to get calmer, and his breathing slowed down a tiny bit. His grip on her wrist loosed, but he laid there for a few seconds, his chest still rising and falling drastically. "Are you okay?" she whispered, gently prying his fingers from her wrist.

"Yeah," he croaked, but he seemed really doubtful. "Just a bad dream."

"You were crying," she stated, and she, with her thumb, gently wiped away a tear that was still slowly sliding down his face.

He squeezed his eyes shut, before rolling on his back. "Oh," he muttered pitifully.

Natalie stood up, walking to the other side of the bed and getting in. There was no way she was leaving him now after what she had just witnessed. "You wanna talk about it?"

He bit his lip before turning away from her. "No," he muttered. "'M tired." And he sounded it, but that didn't make her stop pressing him for details.

"Keith," she started cautiously. She lifted up his pajamas shirt, a little bit so she could gently run her finger nails gently down his back. "You can tell me anything, you know that?" she said. She wished he was facing her so she could see the expressions that graced his face.

"I know," he whispered.

"Have you been having nightmares all week?" He tensed. "Is that why you haven't been sleeping much?"

Silence.

"They'll go away," he finally said resigned.

"You're sure?"

"They always do," he said with finality in his tone.

But still Natalie asked, "These happen a lot?"

"Only once a year," he sighed, half asleep.

"Once a year? Why's that?" she asked surprised. "Keith?"

"Goodnight, partner."

* * *

Natalie was happy that Keith didn't seem to have anymore nightmares that night, and she made a firm plan that she was going to sleep with him until she was certain the nightmares went away. The only problem was, she wanted to know what exactly was bothering him so much. She hated to see him in so much pain and not be able to do anything about it.

Keith had been silent the whole morning, and Natalie tried to do things to cheer him up, but nothing did. They were all sitting around the table eating breakfast, while she was still trying to think of something, anything, she could do so he could stop thinking about what was bothering him. The problem was, she couldn't think of anything that _would_.

When was he just going to talk to her?

Just as Natalie finished filling her breakfast plate with eggs, Caroline spoke up. "So, what are you guys going to do today?" she asked, glancing up to Natalie expectantly. "Do you work?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm off today. I don't know what I'm gonna do," she stated taking a bite of eggs.

Zach glanced over to Keith, who was playing with his food. "You wanna play some video games today, man?"

Keith didn't look up from his plate. "No," he muttered. The sadness in his voice caused Natalie to glance over at him.

"Why not?" asked Zach.

"I'm busy."

"Doing?" pressed Zach.

Keith snapped his head up, eyes shining with intense sadness. "Just something, okay? It's none of your business."

"Hey, man, I was just asking, no need to be a jerk about it." At this, everyone sucked in their breath.

"Jerk?" gasped out Keith, glaring at Zach as he dropped his fork on his plate. "Is that what you think?"

Zach shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah, you've been like this for a few days, it's getting old."

Keith narrowed his eyes at Zach before bringing his gaze back to his plate and muttering, "You don't _know_ anything," he hissed.

"And you do?" spat back Zach.

Keith squeezed his eyes shut, keeping his gaze firmly on his plate. "Zach," whispered Caroline. "Just stop it, okay?"

"Why? He's been acting moody all week, and it's rubbing off on this family, and I'm sick of it." He turned to Keith, who looked up at him with sad eyes. "Just because you're sick doesn't mean you can act like a jerk to everyone."

The silence that followed afterwards was tense. Cynthia was biting her lip and glancing between Keith and Zach, a worried expression on her face.

"I'm sorry," whispered Keith, voice tight. "I didn't mean…I didn't mean to make everyone upset. I'm sorry for acting like a jerk. I'm just—this week—today's not a good day for me, Zach, okay?" he muttered fiercely apologetic, before he quickly stood up, grabbed his jacket, and left the house.

"Great, Zach," said Natalie. "Now, you've made him leave. That's just perfect," she screamed throwing her hands up in the hair.

"What's up with him?" he asked. "You're _his_ girlfriend."

"I don't know, okay?" she hissed back. "But now you've made whatever's going on worse. He doesn't need to be happy every single day, Zach. He's going through a lot, and sometimes he just has bad days."

"Bad week's more like," he muttered.

"Or bad week," spat Natalie back, "But I wouldn't go and judge his actions until you know."

"Whatever," said Zach, before standing up and leaving Natalie and everyone else shocked at the pervious events that had just transpired.

* * *

Later that afternoon, and no sight or word from Keith, Natalie was getting more worried by the passing minute. She had already driven over to their spot, and even his house, looking for him, but he obviously didn't want to be found.

When Zach came walking back in with April trailing behind him, he looked a bit worried that Keith still hadn't shown up. "You sure you don't know where he is?"

Natalie shook her head. "I've looked the only places that I could think of. He's nowhere."

"Shit," said Zach. "I didn't mean to make him that upset."

"I think there's more to it than what you said," admitted Natalie, before throwing herself on the couch, and glancing outside every few seconds, hoping to catch sight of his yellow truck.

"Maybe you should call Henry," mused Caroline who walked into the living room where they were all sitting with Cynthia. "Maybe Keith's called him or something? Just so we know he's okay."

Natalie nodded. "That's a good idea, mom," she smiled, before leaning over the arm of the couch and grabbing the cordless phone. She dialed Henry's cell phone number which she now had memorized.

Surprisingly, he answered after the second ring, and the first thing he said was, "He's missing, isn't he?"

Natalie was taken aback for a minute before finally responding, "Um yeah, how'd you know? Has he called you?" she asked hopefully.

Henry sighed loudly. "No, he hasn't called me. But, he's been doing this for the past two years."

"Two years, really?" asked Natalie. "Why?"

"His mom," muttered Henry sadly.

"His mom?" repeated Natalie. "Why?" she added quietly.

"Natalie today is the anniversary of her death. He always goes missing on this day."

Natalie felt her heart sink in her stomach and she muttered, "Oh god, I had no idea."

"I wouldn't expect you to. He doesn't talk to anyone about her. We've never talked about her. I should have forced him, but I didn't like seeing him in pain—and whenever she was brought up I could see pain flash in his eyes and I just couldn't do it. I hated seeing that," he muttered. "It's been three years, and I've moved on better than he…he blames himself."

"He blames himself?" hissed Natalie. "For her death?"

"Yeah," muttered Henry pitifully. "It was the car crash, he—you see Natalie. There's more to her death that you probably think, I would tell you, but I don't think it's my place."

"And you shouldn't. There's a reason he hasn't told me yet, and I think it's really personal to him and he should tell me himself…when the time comes, you know?"

"Thanks you for understanding, Natalie."

"One question: do you where can I find him?"

"Yeah, he's at the graveyard off Route Ten. Go check on him, make sure he's okay. Just don't let him see you, okay? It's personal to him; he needs to be there for her…but mostly for himself."

"I'll make sure to keep myself hidden."

"Thanks. Oh, and Natalie?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you do me a huge favor?"

"Sure, anything."

"When he gets home tonight, probably really late, can you be there for him?"

"I can do that," she stated. "Thanks for everything and I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you, Natalie. I'll talk to you later."

When she hung up, she glanced up to her family who was looking at her expectantly. "So?" spoke up Zach. "What's up with him?"

Natalie frowned. "Today is the anniversary of his mom's death," she whispered.

"Shit," said Zach. "Now, I feel like the jerk." April looked like she was about to cry at the news and buried her head in Zach's chest. He rubbed her back comfortably.

"Don't," said Natalie, not wanting her family to blame themselves. "You didn't know, no one did. _I_ didn't."

"Did Henry say where he is?" asked Caroline.

Natalie nodded. "Yeah, I'm just going to see if he's there, and okay, but he doesn't want me talking to him."

"Is Keith going to be okay?" asked Cynthia, looking incredibly worried.

"Yes, he'll be fine, dear," said Caroline, reassuring her daughter.

"What's wrong with him?"

"He's suffering," stated Caroline, and Natalie swore she saw her mom's eyes shine with tears.

"From what?" asked Cynthia.

Caroline blinked her eyes rapidly. "From a broken heart."

* * *

A few hours later, before it started getting dark, Natalie drove to the graveyard that Henry told her Keith was at. It wasn't hard to find him, his truck was obvious enough. She parked far away from his truck, making sure that he wouldn't see her car. She walked quietly through the graveyard, keeping herself hidden behind the trees. He wasn't far into the graveyard, and when she got close enough to see him, she stopped walking, making sure she was far enough away that he couldn't see her.

She leaned up against a tree and studied him. He was sitting Indian style in front of his Mom's headstone and he had a box of something in his hand, but Natalie couldn't tell what it was. He was talking, but Natalie wasn't close enough to hear what he was saying (not that she wanted to). She watched as he placed the box in front of the headstone, but she wasn't prepared to see what she saw next, he lowered his head towards his lap and his shoulder shook with what she knew were sobs.

It took all of Natalie's power not to walk forward and hug him—help him through this pain, but she didn't. Instead, she glanced at him for a few more seconds, watching as he angrily wiped away the tears, before she walked away.

When she got to her car, she couldn't stop the tears that came. The sight of him crying, of him so broken.

It _broke_ her heart.

* * *

Natalie did as Henry asked, and stayed up, waiting for Keith to arrive. She finally heard his key in the door as it neared midnight. She gave him a few minutes to get upstairs and into his room, before she left hers and walked into his, not bothering to knock

When she entered, he quickly pivoted around from where he had been standing. The sight of him made Natalie's heart break even more. His eyes were bloodshot and it looked like he had been crying all day as red as they looked. "Hey," said Natalie, walking up to him and taking his hand with hers.

"Hi," he muttered sadly. Natalie saw tears build behind his eyes again, and he swallowed thickly. He went to say something, and surprised, Natalie listened intently. "It's my mom's—my mom's anniversary…of—of her death," he said. "I'm really sorry for acting like this," he said, keeping his gaze on the floor.

"I know, Keith, I'm sorry. So sorry." He looked a bit shocked, and Natalie quickly said, "I talked to your dad—I was worried. He didn't tell me much, but just…about what today was."

He lifted his eyes up, and Natalie inwardly gasped. His normal emerald eyes were almost black. He sighed deeply, before sitting on his bed, focusing his gaze to his lap. He began playing with an invisible string on his shirt. "I miss her," he finally admitted, voice tight. Even thought Natalie couldn't see his face, she could see he was blinking furiously. "This—this is why I've been like this all week. Ever year, I always get nightmares…of it…"

"I'm so sorry, sweetie," she said, sitting down next to him. When she wrapped her arm around him, she saw a tear slide down his cheek. "Do you, maybe, want to talk about it?" she asked hesitantly. "About your mom?"

He took in a shaky breath as he sniffed. "I have—I haven't ever talked about it…about her in a long, long time…"

"You can tell me," she whispered.

He glanced up to her, tears almost spilling from his eyes. He wiped at the stray tear that was still making its way down his cheek. "I was in it, you know."

"In what?" she asked softly.

"The accident—the car crash." He breathed in deeply, as if what he was about to say next took all of his energy. "I was driving—I drove. It was really snowy, but Mom trusted me that I could do it. I was almost sixteen, you know," he laughed dryly, "and my test was soon. She thought it would be good practice, driving in the snow. I was scared, I remember that much. But I kept telling myself it was stupid—everyone drives in snow, right?" His voice cracked and he had to take a few seconds to compose himself.

"I didn't tell her I was scared, I said _nothing_…and I should have because when we came to this light, it changed red and I tried to slow down." He sniffed, and Natalie saw another tear slid down his cheek— "Really I did, but the car slid on a patch of ice and I lost control. The—the car swerved into the intersection..." He let out a choked sob.

"Oh my god," muttered Natalie, bringing hand to cover her mouth.

"I don't remember much," he mumbled, sniffing. "I just remember a pair of bright lights coming my way, and I remember thinking 'this is it—I'm going to die.' I remember impact, really strong impact," he chuckled wryly. "I slammed my head into the driver's window just as the car flipped… that's I'll I remember…I blacked out after that…"

He took in a shuddering breath and continued, "I-I woke up a few days later. Bad concussion. Had to get stitches on my forehead since the window shattered," he stated, lifting his hand up and pointing to the spot on his forehead. "I had a broken leg, too. And when-when I woke up dad was there, sitting next to me and I remember, when I glanced at him and saw the _look_ in his eyes," he stopped, squeezing his eyes shut, "I could tell," he muttered. "I _knew _that she had died…and that _I _had killed her," he cried, before bringing his hand to his face, as his shoulders began shaking with sobs.

"Keith," started Natalie comfortably, "you didn't kill her. It _was_ an accident."

He cut her off, finally glancing to look at her with pain and tear filled eyes. "Yes, _I_ did. I _killed _her," he wailed taking in a watery breath.

"Keith," soothed Natalie, scooting closer to him. "It's not your fault. Please, please don't blame yourself," she said, holding back tears. "It wasn't your fault, you did _nothing_ wrong."

A loud sob ripped through his throat, and Natalie gently took her arm and he moved to bury his face into her chest, as the storm of tears finally came. Natalie felt her shirt getting damp, but she didn't care, only sat there, rubbing circles on his back and whispering comforting words to him as he tightly gripped the bottom of her t-shirt, as he cried for the loss of his mother.

* * *

The next morning, Natalie woke when she heard the door to Keith's room close. Quickly, she got out of bed, wanting to make sure that he was okay. She walked quickly down the stairs, but just as she was about to enter the kitchen, she stopped at the sight that she saw.

Keith was standing in front of Caroline silently, and kept opening and closing his mouth, obliviously trying to come up with the right way to apologize to her. However, before Keith could say something, Caroline walked over to him, and wrapped her arms around him in a tight motherly hug—something that Keith had been craving for the past three years. He tensed up for a few seconds, but soon, he relented, and wrapped his arms around Caroline, melting into her hug.

* * *

Luckily, Natalie had the day off, so she decided to take Keith out and cheer him up. "Hat shopping?" he asked, as she parked at the mall.

"Yup, won't it be fun?" she asked with a smile, remembering he had kept mentioning how he needed to get more hats. "Then we can go get lunch! You're choice!"

She was surprised when Keith didn't complain, but got out of the car excitedly, huge grin gracing his face. "I know exactly what hat I want," he stated.

"Should I be worried about this?" she asked, grabbing his hand as they walked into the mall.

"Oh, definitely," he said as they walked into a store called 'Hats 4 U'.

As soon as they walked in, Natalie's mouth gaped open. Where were they even going to start? There were so many different style hats that Natalie knew they'd be here for a long time, but at the excited grin Keith had when glancing around the store, Natalie didn't care if they spent all week shopping.

Keith started with the beanies, since they were his favorite. He picked out a few basic colors, but also got some colors that were a bit out there such as bright yellow and orange. After he was satisfied, he walked over to the baseball hat section, and immediately grabbed a blue hat that had a red C in the middle.

"You like the Cubs?" asked Natalie.

He nodded. "Duh," he said, rolling his eyes.

"I didn't know you liked football," she joked.

This caused him to glare at her. "We might just have to watch all baseball games this season, so you can figure out the difference," he threatened.

Natalie groaned. "No, Keith, please," she begged. "I'll do anything, but don't make me watch baseball."

"Anything?" She nodded. "Hmm…I'll have to remember that," he smirked, before sighing at her look and saying, "Partner, what am I going to do with you?" he asked.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Keep me?" she asked in a childish voice.

He bent down and kissed her on the forehead. "I think I just might, you're kind of cute," he grinned.

Natalie blushed. "Well," she said glancing at the handful of hats Keith was holding. "You done?"

He nodded and Natalie followed him to the register. Five minutes later, they were exiting the store, Keith carrying a huge bag. As they were walking outside, Natalie finally stopped, causing Keith to give her a curious expression. "Keith, guess what I just witnessed," she said seriously.

"What?" he asked, a bit nervous.

She poked him in the chest. "You, mister, just _enjoyed_ shopping."

At this revelation, he frowned while wildly glancing around him as if someone had overheard their conversation. "This is between you and me, you understand?" he hissed.

Natalie continued to stare at him. "Hmmm…"

"What?" he pressed.

"I think it seems like some pretty good blackmail to me."

* * *

**A/N:** _Hope you guys enjoyed it! Please review and let me know what you think!_


	20. The Only One

**A/N: **_I'm a so sorry for not updating last night like I said I would, but something came up. Thanks again for all the reviews! I really love them!_

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* * *

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**Chapter Twenty: The Only One **

Natalie was absentmindedly running her fingers down the silver chain that was resting on her neck as she waited for her printer to finish. A few minutes later, she lowered her hand and began folding the pages with pristine care, before placing them in envelopes and licking them closed. Once she finished, she grabbed the letters, and made her way downstairs.

Before going outside to drop the letters off, she walked into the living room to see what Keith was up to. "Hey, there," she said, glancing him. He was lazily resting on the couch, holding the remote limply in his hand. "What're you watching?" she asked, walking further into the room. "The weather?" she asked, once she looked at the T.V.

"Yup," he said, taking his gaze off the T.V. once it turned to commercial. "Did you know there's a huge snowstorm coming?" he asked with excitement in his voice.

"Really?" asked Natalie, but before she could ask any questions her father walked into the living room and spoke up.

"Snow storm?" he wondered, glancing at Keith for confirmation.

Keith nodded. "Yeah, they say it's supposed to start snowing in the morning and then get really bad by afternoon."

"Really? That's not good," frowned Pete. "Did they say how bad the roads are going to get?" he asked.

"Why? Are you going somewhere?" wondered Keith.

"Caroline and I always take a trip down to Chicago for our anniversary; we're supposed to leave the day after tomorrow."

Keith bit his lip. "Do you think you can you leave tomorrow? Michigan's already getting hit pretty hard."

"I'll have to speak with Caroline," informed Pete. "Thanks for letting me know," he said, before turning to Natalie and glancing at the letters in her hands.

"What?" she asked, making sure the addresses weren't showing.

"What are those for?" he asked, not taking his eyes away from the letters.

"They're for the mailbox," she stated, making sure she didn't look her dad in the eyes.

"I know that," said Pete, "Who are they for?"

Natalie snapped her head to finally face her dad. "Oh, these letters? They're for…my friends…"

Pete looked confused. "Aren't your friends down here for Spring Break?" he wondered.

Natalie nodded quickly. "Oh, yeah, they are, but you see they like to get letters for when they get back. So, I decided to send them now. I mean, it's Friday so I was thinking hopefully they'd get there by Tuesday or…so I am a little late but," She suddenly stopped her rant, and finally finished. "So, yeah, these are for my friends."

Pete looked even more confused, and finally glanced down at Keith. "Women," he stated, before walking out of the room.

Once Pete had left, Keith glanced over to Natalie. "What are those letters _really_ for, partner?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, trying to act oblivious.

Standing up, he walked over to her and tried to grab the letters from her. However, before he could, Natalie backed away from him, holding the letters to her more closely. "Those letters aren't for your friends. You haven't sent one letter to them so far this school year."

"So?" she squeaked out. She wasn't sure exactly why she didn't want Keith to know, he _was_ the one that had given her the applications.

He smirked. "_So_, I'm guessing that these are college application letters."

"How'd you know?"

He shrugged. "I'm just really smart, I guess."

"Fine, they _are_ college applications, Mr. Know-it-all."

At this comment, his grin grew larger, and he said, "So, why didn't you want your dad to know?"

"Because," she said, "I don't want to get their hopes up."

"How could you get their hopes up? If you think you're not going to get accepted into any of those colleges you're crazy."

Natalie let out a tiny nervous laugh. "First off, I don't want to get their hopes up because I haven't decided if I'm _going_ to school in the fall and second—"

He interrupted her. "Wait? What did you just say?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"You heard me," she mumbled.

"Natalie," he started seriously. "We've already discussed this. You _will_ go to school in the fall; you _want_ to go to school in the fall. No, don't give me that look. I _am_ going to be fine, you understand?"

"But what if—"

He silenced her. "Shhh. Remember what I said? Everything is going to be fine; I'm going to be fine, okay? So, let's go mail those letters," he said, and before waiting for a response, grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the door.

Once they got to the mailbox, Natalie handed Keith the letters and said, "Do the honors."

At her suggestion, he grinned and grabbed the letters from her hand and one by one placed them in the outgoing mail slot. "Done," he said after sending the last letter.

Natalie smiled. "Now, we wait."

"Now, we wait," he repeated, as he gently pushed her up against the mailbox and placed his lips against hers.

* * *

That night, Natalie got a call from Trish inviting her and Keith to the Arcade off of Route Ten. Trish had called a bunch of friends from high school and they were all getting together to catch up. Excited, Natalie agreed, and let her know she and Keith would be there quickly.

Grabbing her purse, she walked out of her room and into Keith's. "We're going somewhere," she said.

"Where?" he asked, not taking his attention off of the television.

"To the Arcade off Route Ten."

This caught his attention, and he quickly turned off the T.V. "Really?" he asked, eyes shining as he began putting on his shoes.

"Yeah, Trish is getting a bunch of people together, she invited us."

Keith suddenly stopped tying his shoes to look at her. "A bunch of people?" he groaned.

Natalie sat down on the bed next to him. "It's not that big of a deal. Robbie and Travis will be there."

"I don't know…" he started.

"Please," she begged. "You'll get to play all those fun games."

He looked torn, but he finished tying his shoes, before standing up and grabbing his brown beanie and putting it on. "All right, I guess," he stated. "I really _do_ want to play that air hockey game they have. "

"Great," said Natalie, standing up and giving him a kiss. "It'll be fun. Promise."

Thirty minutes later, as soon as they arrived at the Arcade, Travis and Robbie caught Keith's attention and motioned him over to join them and some other guys. "Go on," said Natalie, "I'm going to go visit with some of the girls," she said, indicating towards a table that was crowded with people she recognized from high school.

"Okay," he smiled, giving her a kiss on the lips before walking over to join Travis and Robbie.

Just as Natalie sat down at the table, she heard a familiar voice and inwardly groaned. "Yo, Anderson! How're you?" Hoping she had a fake excited expression on her face, she turned around in her chair to see Derek Matthews staring at her with a huge grin.

"Hey, Derek. I'm doing well. How're you?"

Eyes shining he took a seat in an empty chair next to her. "I'm great now that you're here."

"So," she started, trying to change conversation. "What have you been up to?"

He scooted his chair closer to her. "Oh, I'm going to school at Millikin University for theater," he stated. "What about you? At Duke?"

Natalie bit her lip. "Um, no, I'm not going to Duke," she muttered, trying to glance over to Brooke to get some support but she was busy talking to someone else.

"Really? I thought you had a partial tennis scholarship."

"I-I do—I mean, I did…" she trailed off.

"Did?" he pressed. "Did you decide to go to Harvard or something?"

Natalie shook her head, and was relieved to see Keith, Travis, and Robbie making their way over to the group, but she frowned when they stopped to get in line for candy. "I'm actually taking a year off."

Derek's eyes got wide. "Really? Why's that?" he asked, but Natalie was silent, watching as Travis bought a huge pack of Twizzlers and began trying to hit Keith and Robbie with individual pieces of licorice. Derek turned to see what had distracted Natalie. "Wow, aren't they mature."

At this comment, Natalie let out a tiny laugh. "Yeah," she mused. "So, you were saying?" she asked, averting her attention back to Derek.

"Oh," he said, eyes brightening up as she gave him her full attention. "I was asking you why you're taking a year off."

"Because I wanted to stay here with my boyfriend," she stated simply, secretly loving the way Derek's eyes squeezed in anger.

He was silent for a while, but finally he stuttered out, "Boyfriend? I thought you and Marques broke up and isn't he going somewhere out of state?"

"Oh, we did break up."

"Then who're you dating?" he asked, jealously evident in his voice.

Natalie smiled. "Oh, him," she stated, lifting her arm and pointing to Keith who was now having a fake swordfight with licorice between Travis and Robbie.

"Which one?" he asked.

"The one wearing the beanie," she stated.

Derek seemed to study Keith for a while before finally asking, "Did he go to school with us?"

"Yup," she replied, watching as Keith finally stopped playing the fake swordfight and turned to catch eyes with Natalie. But, when he caught sight of Derek, who was leaning up close to her, his eyes narrowed and he began making his way over.

"What's his name?" he asked.

"Keith," she stated.

Recognition crossed his features. "Keith? Keith Zetterstrom?"

"Yup, the one and only," she smiled just as Keith made it to the table.

"Hi, partner," he said, taking a bite of his licorice. Natalie tried to bite back a laugh at the look he gave Derek. "What's up?" he finally asked.

"Oh, just talking to Derek," she said casually.

Keith glanced over to Derek, "Hey, man," he said. Natalie could hear a bit of anger laced in his introduction.

"Hey," said Derek. "So, have you guys been dating long?"

Natalie nodded, and was about to answer but Keith was too quick and answered, "Yeah, for almost a year."

Derek's eyes got wide. "Wow, so, this must be pretty serious, huh?"

"Yup," smiled Natalie, standing up in her chair and giving Keith a kiss on the cheek. This seemed to please him immensely.

When she pulled away, she saw intense jealously radiating from Derek's eyes. "Well, I'm going to go talk to some other people," he stated, standing up. "I'll catch up with you later, okay, Natalie?" he stated, and before he walked away, he gave her a tight hug. A bit too long and intimate in Natalie's opinion, but she didn't say anything.

As soon as Derek was out of ear shot, Keith grabbed Natalie's arm and dragged her to someplace private. "Who is he?" asked Keith sharply.

"Oh, that was just Derek Matthews," she stated simply.

"Derek?" said Keith, almost spitting out his name.

"Yes, Derek." She rolled her eyes. She couldn't understand why Keith was so paranoid over _Derek_. Okay, so maybe Derek had been trying to get with her for years, but Derek had nothing on Keith. _Nothing._ Derek was just too arrogant and too…creepy.

"Do you talk to him a lot?" he questioned, glancing in Derek's direction and glaring.

Natalie sighed. "No, Keith, I don't."

"Well, you need to _stop_ talking to him," he stated.

Natalie shook her head, trying to not laugh at Keith's jealously; she wouldn't voice it to him, but it was kind of cute. "Keith," she finally said, letting out a little laugh.

"I don't like the way he looks at you," he said, giving Natalie a serious expression. "He looks like he wants to devour you or something."

Shocked, Natalie said, "He does not want to devour me, god, Keith!"

"I don't like it one bit," he said seriously. Not knowing what to say, she wrapped her arms around Keith's waist, pulling him close to her. "Maybe I should go talk to him…just so he knows where he stands," he wondered.

Squeezing him tighter she said, "Keith, just shut up and _kiss _me."

* * *

They got home late that night, having gone to a movie after playing for a few hours at the Arcade. Derek had stayed away from Natalie for the rest of the night; she figured it had to do with the fact that whenever he got close, Keith would glare at him and pull her to close him.

Who knew he was so protective?

Keith had retreated to his room to change and was walking into Natalie's room, wearing his green pajamas, just as she finished putting on her pajamas. He had been adamant about sleeping with her tonight. "Hey, partner," he smiled.

"Hey, there," she smiled back, as she made her way over to her bed and got under the covers.

He got into his side, and once they were both under the cover, he pulled Natalie so close that their foreheads were touching. "You're mine. No one else's," he stated seriously.

"And you're mine and no one else's," she said, staring into his green eyes. "You're the only one for me, you know that, right?" she whispered to him a few seconds later.

Keith's mouth curved into a smile. "Forever?" he asked.

"Yes, forever."

"Forever and ever?"

"Forever and ever," she repeated.

"For infinity?"

"Yes, Keith, for infinity," she said, before leaning in the short distance there were apart, and kissing him lightly on the lips.

* * *

That night, Natalie woke up to Keith coughing. Rolling over onto her other side, she could see his bare back shaking with the force of coughs. Wondering why he was coughing, and hoping it didn't mean he was getting a cold, she quickly got out of bed, and quietly made her way out of her room.

When she got into the kitchen, she filled up a mug with hot water and put it in the microwave, before she headed into the downstairs bathroom.

She kneeled down and opened the cabinets, and began searching for some cough medicine. At first, she thought her search was going to turn out empty-handed, but finally she saw a small bottle of Robitussin. There wasn't much left, but there definitely was enough for at least one dose.

She walked into the kitchen just as the microwave beeped. She grabbed some peppermint tea from the cupboard, placing it into the hot water, letting it steep for a few minutes, before throwing the tea bag away and heading upstairs.

Opened her door, she quietly crept over to the side Keith was sleeping on. Placing the tea on the nightstand, she said, "Keith, wake up, I have something for your cough."

He opened his eyes immediately, and the first thing she noticed was how tired he looked. Had he gotten any sleep? "Really?" he asked, his throat sounding dry and painful.

She nodded. "Yeah, I brought you some tea and some cough medicine."

He coughed once more and sat up. "You didn't have to do that, partner; it's in the middle of the night. Am I keeping you up?" he asked. "I can go to my room."

"You're fine," she said as she filled up a little plastic cup with medicine before handing it to him. Once he took swallowed the medicine, she grabbed the cup from him and gave him his tea.

After his first sip he said, "You made my favorite."

"I know," she said crawling over him and getting back under the covers. "Would you think any less of me?" she joked.

He shook his head, grinning.

Natalie watched him drink the tea for a while, before a thought occurred to her and she suddenly placed the pack of her hand against his forehead. "What're you doing?" he asked, moving his head away from her hand.

"Checking for a temperature," she stated.

"It's just a cough," he said. "I'm fine."

"Do you feel like you're getting a cold?" She sure hoped not, but she did wonder what had suddenly triggered his cough.

He coughed before responding, with a slight shrug, "I don't think so…"

"You better not," she stated, lying down and resting her head on his lap, waiting for him to finish his tea.

"I'm not," he voiced, but Natalie thought she heard some doubt laced in it.

"I hope not," she whispered, "I love you."

"Love you too, partner."

* * *

The next morning, Natalie woke up early when she heard her parents downstairs. Thinking they were leaving, she got up to say goodbye. Just as she got downstairs, her dad walked in. "Hey, Natalie, you're up early."

"Yeah, I heard you guys. Did you decide to leave today?"

Pete nodded as Natalie followed him into the kitchen where Caroline was making some coffee. "Yeah, we checked the weather and Keith was right—there's definitely a storm coming."

Natalie glanced outside through a window, and saw some big grey clouds, and it definitely looked like it was going to start snowing soon. "It's a good thing you decided to leave today," she mused as she sat down at the kitchen where her parents were drinking a cup of coffee before they left.

"Do you need to go anywhere today?" asked Caroline as she handed Natalie a cup of coffee, before grabbing herself and Pete some.

Natalie took a sip before saying, "I was going to stop by the grocery store and get some things just in case we get snowed in. Plus, I need to get Keith some cough medicine."

"Cough medicine?" asked Caroline, worry crossing her features.

"Yeah, he started coughing a lot last night. We had some medicine, but there was only enough for one dose. I want to make sure he has enough in case we get snowed in."

Just as they all finished their cups of coffee, they heard coughing and a few seconds later Keith walked in. "Keith?" said Natalie worriedly, glancing at his appearance. He looked a little pale, and there were bags under his eyes. He looked like he hadn't slept very well. "You feel any better?" she asked.

He didn't say anything, only continued to cough. He walked to a cupboard and grabbed a cup and filled it with water. Once he finished drinking, he refilled his cup, and walked to the table and sat down next to Natalie. "Keith?"

He blinked at her owlishly, before saying, "I can't stop coughing. I couldn't get any sleep. I kept waking up."

"Did the medicine help at all?" she asked, even though she already knew the answer as she had slept with him and had heard him coughing throughout the entire night.

Suddenly, Caroline got up and retreated into the bathroom before coming back with a thermometer. "I'm not sick!" said Keith, backing up into his chair, as soon as he caught sight of it. "I just have a cough."

Caroline didn't listen to him. "Keith, just please let me take your temperature. Pete and I don't want to leave you here if you're sick." She stuck the thermometer in his mouth, before he could argue anymore.

He tried to anyway. "But," he mumbled against the thermometer, "you have to go on your trip. I'm _fine_."

Caroline shushed him and they all waited silently until the thermometer beeped. She let out a relieved sigh as soon as she glanced at the numbers. "Good, no fever." She looked up at him. "Now, Keith, I want you to answer this honestly. How do you feel?"

"I'm fine, I have no fever," he stated.

Caroline sat down into the empty chair next to him. "I know, but not having a fever doesn't mean you don't feel sick."

He coughed before saying, "Oh, right. Honestly, I feel fine. I just have a cough and I'm tired 'cause I didn't sleep well."

"Do you feel sick at all?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Sick?"

"Like you might throw up?"

"_No!_" he stated. "I just have a cough, okay?" he said, getting a little aggravated.

Caroline turned to Pete. "Do you think we should stay home? Just in case…"

Keith answered for him. "No, you have to go. Natalie will take care of me, right?" he said, glancing at Natalie for confirmation.

"Of course," she replied, glancing over to her parents. "He doesn't have a fever; he probably just has a cold. Look, we'll go to the store, get him some medicine, and then he can spend the rest of the day sleeping."

Her parents looked hesitant. Finally, her dad spoke up. "Dr. Normandy said only to worry if he has a fever, which he doesn't, so I think he's fine. As long as he relaxes and gets some cough medicine he should be better by tomorrow."

Caroline studied Keith for a few seconds before finally relenting. "I guess you're right. Just go to the store, and nowhere else okay?" she demanded, staring at Natalie.

"We will," she said, before standing up and hugging her parents. "Don't worry. I'll take care of him."

"And I'll take care of Natalie," said Keith.

"We know you will," smiled Pete.

* * *

Natalie chose the closest grocery store to her house, hoping they could get in and out quickly. They had left an hour after her parents, and the snow had just started falling. Luckily it was only little flakes, but she was sure it was going to start getting faster and heavier.

Keith's coughing was now more consistent, and she swore it was getting worse. So, as soon as they walked into the store, and she grabbed a cart, she made a beeline towards the medicine aisle.

It took Keith a good five minutes to stop coughing to finally glance at the choices. "Um," he started, his voice sounding sore, "how about this one?" he asked, handing a bottle to Natalie.

Natalie glanced at it. "But this is for a running nose and stuff—don't you just have a cough?"

Keith bit his lip and shrugged. "I don't know. My nose is kind of stuffy, too."

"Crap," she said. "Do you think we should go to a doctor?" she asked.

Keith shook his head adamantly. "No, it's fine. I'm just getting a cold. I have no fever, so really, it's nothing to worry about."

"Are you sure?" she asked seriously.

He nodded. "Positive."

"All right," she sighed glancing back down at the bottle, before placing it in the cart and making her away down the next aisle to grab some groceries.

It couldn't have been more than twenty minutes into shopping when Keith seemed to almost continually cough or sneeze. Finally, when he asked if they were almost done, Natalie figured he was feeling worse and wanted him to take his medicine now.

Grabbing the bottle from the basket, she started opening it. "What're you doing?" he croaked.

"You need to take you medicine now; your cough's getting worse."

Keith didn't make any argument and once she finished opening the bottle she filled the tiny plastic cup that came with it before handing it to him. He swallowed it, grimacing at the taste, before handing Natalie back the tiny cup.

"That stuff's gross," he said, sticking out his tongue.

"Sorry," she said. "Medicine normally doesn't taste good."

"Can we go?" he asked, glancing at Natalie with a pleading expression.

She nodded. There had been a few more things she wanted to get, but Keith's health was more important. "Yeah, we can go."

They made their way to the front, and Natalie got into line behind an old couple, and turning towards Keith she said, "Looks like people are stocking up before the storm."

He only nodded, rubbing his face with hand. The line went surprisingly faster than she thought, and they were just exiting the store ten minutes later when Natalie heard someone calling her name. Turning around, a smile crossed her face as she saw two of her old high school friends, Summer and Carly.

"Hey, guys," she said.

They ran up to her and hugged her before pulling away. "We've missed you. How've you been?" asked Carly, a tall slender brunette.

"I've been great. How's college life going for you?" she asked, knowing they both were attending Carbondale University, the one Natalie was most interested in.

"Oh, it's great," said Summer, a short red head. "Our dorm is so cute. You should totally come check it out sometime!"

Natalie was just about to reply, but Keith coughing interrupted them. "Oh, guys, this is my boyfriend."

"Hey," they both greeted.

Natalie could tell Keith was feeling poorly and was in no mood for conversation. "Hi," he said, giving them a forced smile. "I'm Keith."

Carly and Summer both studied him for a few seconds. "Keith? Zetterstrom?" asked Summer.

"Hi," he said.

"I thought you looked familiar," mused Carly. "It's just the hair…"

"Yeah," he blushed, trying to pull his beanie further down on his head. "Had to shave it," he mumbled.

Natalie was surprised that he said this, and by the look on his face it seemed like he was too. "Shave it?" asked Summer softly.

"Uh huh," he muttered, he began trailing his eyes around, as if he didn't want to catch either one of the girls' gazes.

"Why's that?" pried Summer softly again.

Finally, he looked at the girls, looking incredibly uncomfortable. He bit his lip, before saying, "From the chemo."

"Chemo?" gasped Summer. "Oh my god. I had no idea."

Keith shrugged. "It's not like I tell everyone…"

"Are you going to be—" Carly stopped and instead asked, "You're going to be okay, right?"

He looked indecisive. "I-I think so. I'm not really sure…" He glanced at Natalie with tired eyes. "Can I go sit in the car?"

"We're going," said Natalie, looking at Summer and Carly. "I'm sorry, he's not feeling well, but it was great seeing you guys."

"You too," said Summer, before turning to Keith. "Feel better," she stated.

"Get better, Keith, k?" said Carly, as she began walking into the store with Summer.

"Thanks," he said, waving at them as they disappeared inside.

Once Natalie got into her car, her cell phone started to ring. "Crap," she said, trying to find her phone in her purse. Just as she was sure it was going to go to voicemail, she found it. "Hello?"

"Natalie?" a hysterical voice spoke.

"Um, Melanie?" asked Natalie, recognizing the voice.

"Thank God you answered!" she exclaimed.

"Is something wrong?"

"Yes! Gary is making me get rid of Midnight!"

Natalie rolled her eyes and mouthed 'sorry' to Keith, who had his head resting on the cool window. He mouthed back 'it's fine,' before closing his eyes. She just wanted to get him home, and hoped this call didn't take too long. "I'm so sorry," she said, glancing at the snow that seemed to be falling harder than it had when she and Keith had gone into the store.

"Can you please take him?" she sobbed. "Just until I figure something out…"

"Now?" asked Natalie.

"Yes, please," she begged.

"Why does Gary not want him?" she wondered.

"Because Midnight got upset that we went out to dinner last night, and when we came home he had chewed all of his nice shoes…"

"That's not too bad," said Natalie, trying to make the situation seem better that it actually was.

"Well, there's more," sighed Melanie. "Today he somehow jumped onto the top of the closet and kind of ripped up some of his sweaters."

"Oh," frowned Natalie.

"Please, can't you take him? I promise that I'll knock some sense into him, but he's threatening to take Midnight to the..." she stopped, and lowered her voice, "_humane society_," she whispered as if it was an illegal word.

"Melanie I really wish I could, but my mom's allergic and I can't have cat fur getting all over the house." Melanie started crying, so quickly Natalie added, "Maybe, you could take her to Hooked on Books?" she suggested. Why wasn't Midnight there anyway?

Sniffing, Melanie responded with, "Well, he began frightening the customers, remember? I think he just wanted his mommy all to himself. So I had to take him home, and now this happened…"

"Do you know anyone else?" she asked frantically.

"Um, well, not really. Most of my friends are away at college," she stated. "What about April or Dawn? Don't they have any friends who could take him? Maybe _they_ can try and convince Gary to keep Midnight?"

"No," muttered Melanie. "They're out with some friends, and I already asked them and they told me none of their friends wanted him…"

"I'm so sorry, Melanie, but I don't know anyone who would take Midnight."

Keith spoke up at this, and Natalie turned to him, surprised. She had thought he had fallen asleep. "We can drop Midnight off at my house. My dad won't even know he's there," he said his voice hoarse from all the coughing.

Melanie must have heard his suggestion, because she said, "Tell Keith I love him! I'm at my house."

"But, Keith's sick," she said, but the line already was already dead.

Natalie glanced at Keith as she placed her phone back in her purse. "Maybe I should drop you off first. You can just give me your house key. We were only supposed to come pick medicine up not going on a Saving Midnight Mission."

"I'm fine," he said, head still resting on the window. "That would take too much time. Plus, I think the medicine's helping."

"Are you sure?" asked Natalie.

"Positive," he said. "Now, c'mon we've got a cat to save."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Natalie and Keith walked up to Melanie's front door. They knocked and Gary, answered. "Hi," said Natalie, nervously. "I'm Natalie; I work at Hooked on Books with Melanie."

He grinned. "Nice to finally meet you," he said, shaking her hand.

"This is Keith," she said, indicating to him next to her, who was standing there, looking quiet cold.

"Nice to meet you, too," he said. "Let's get you inside—you guys look like you're freezing."

They both stepped inside as Gary closed the front door. "So, are you taking away that damn cat?"

Natalie laughed, nodding. "Yeah, we're here to rescue Midnight. Where's Melanie?"

"Upstairs, trying her hardest not to speak with me…or even be in the same room as me."

"She's that mad?" she asked.

Gary shrugged. "She'll get over it."

"Well, thanks, we're going to get that cat—Midnight, I mean—and go. Nice to meet you," she said, as she walked up the stairs to Melanie's room, Keith following behind her.

When Natalie walked into Melanie's room, Melanie was gripping Midnight tightly. "You made it!" she cried, standing up and embracing Natalie.

"I can't believe my husband is making me choose between him and a cat," she spat out suddenly. "I mean I threatened divorce and he didn't care!"

Natalie tried to bite back a laugh. "I'm sure he'll come to his senses and Midnight will be living here in no time."

This seemed to be of no comfort and tears filled Melanie's eyes. "He's going to miss his mommy…"

Natalie tried to come up with something to say, but couldn't get past how absurd this whole situation was. Finally, she said, "Look, Midnight is just going to be at Keith's—you can stop over any time and see him."

"Really?" she asked, glancing over to Keith who had sat down on the bed. Natalie thought he looked paler and more exhausted than they had when they had left the store; she knew she should have dropped him off.

"Yeah," he nodded, before a cough overtook him, "whenever you want. You can come visit Midnight whenever," he said, before rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hand. Natalie wasn't sure if it was from him being tired, or what, but the repeated action bothered her.

Wanting to get Keith home soon, she turned to Melanie. "So, you've got everything packed? We'll just get going."

Melanie squeezed Midnight tighter, who let out a loud 'meow.' "See? He's upset, too."

Natalie thought otherwise, but didn't voice this. "Kiss Midnight goodbye, K? And we'll be off."

"His stuff is downstairs. Hopefully, we don't run into stupid arse."

This caused Natalie to laugh. "Stupid arse? Wow Melanie, that's …mature…"

Melanie glared, before walking down the stairs. Just as they walked into the kitchen to grab Midnight's food, Keith started coughing, but this time he couldn't seem to stop. His coughing caused Melanie and Natalie to stop what they were doing, and glance over to him.

"Water," he croaked out, between painful coughs.

Melanie, worried, quickly filled a cup of water and handed it to him. He downed the glass in less than thirty seconds.

"Thanks," he croaked out, his voice sounding painful and dry.

"That cough doesn't sound too good," said Melanie.

"I'm fine," he said, voice cracking and proving him otherwise.

"Yeah, I know," said Natalie, ignoring Keith's comment and speaking to Melanie. "We just got him some cough medicine. Hopefully, it works. Well, we better get going. He needs to get home and sleep."

Melanie frowned. "Why didn't you tell me he was sick? If I would've known he was, I wouldn't have called you guys. He shouldn't be out and about like this."

"It's _fine_," emphasized Keith. "You're both taking this cough to the extreme. It's just a simple cough."

"Well, I'm making you hot chocolate; it should at least sooth your throat."

"I would love some," started Keith, "But we really should get going. We still gotta drive to my dad's and it's supposed to start getting worse."

"First off, I have to-go cups for Hooked on Books and secondly, you're not taking Midnight. No way, you need to get home and get some sleep. No more adventures for you."

Keith looked thoroughly upset. "No, Melanie, it's only fifteen minutes away from here. I'll be fine," he said. "I don't want Midnight to get taken to the humane society."

He knew exactly what to say to persuade Melanie, because her face softened as she looked at the crate that Midnight was in. "Well, all right, but I'm still making you some hot chocolate. Want some, Natalie?"

"Sure," she said. She really didn't; she just wanted to get out of there and get Keith home. It was obvious that he was getting sicker and all this driving around was not good for him.

It was only a few minutes before Melanie produced Natalie and Keith with large to-go cups of hot chocolate. "Thanks, a lot," said Natalie.

"Thanks," said Keith, gratefully taking a sip.

"I should be the one thanking you guys. You really didn't need to rescue Midnight. I'm sorry for how hysterical I was when you got here. But, Midnight's my little baby."

"We'll take good care of him," said Keith, his voice sounding much better after a few sips of hot chocolate.

"We better get going," said Natalie, picking up Midnight's crate.

"Okay," said Melanie softly, before glancing to Natalie. "Thanks again. Feel better, Keith."

He grinned, before taking another sip of hot chocolate. Natalie figured he was going to be done with his drink before they were out the door. "Don't forget to leave him lots of water and food. In case he gets snowed in," she said against the wind as Natalie and Keith began making their way towards the car.

Keith for some reason chose to sit in the back, and when Natalie got into her seat, she saw why. He was laying down on the seat, eyes closed, and looked like he was planning on taking a nap.

"You're going to be fine," she said, but mostly to herself as she backed out of the driveway. "It's just a cold," she whispered.

She just wished she could believe it.

* * *

Three hours later, Natalie finally pulled up into her driveway. It had taken her much longer to drop Midnight off and drive home as the snow was falling down harder. Luckily, Keith had slept the entire time and hadn't even woken up when she grabbed the keys to his house from his pocket.

Turning around in her seat, she called, "Keith, we're home. Time to get up."

He woke up slowly, and when he sat up, his eyes got wide. "Why are we at your house?" he asked confused, his voice thick with sleep. "Weren't we supposed to drop Midnight off?"

"Sweetie, I already did. You slept through everything."

"Oh," he mumbled. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," she said. "Let's get inside; you can sleep more while I cook dinner, okay?"

And he did just that. As soon as they walked inside, he made himself comfortable on the couch, falling asleep within a few minutes. Natalie carried the groceries in, and set to making dinner. She was going for something simple—soup and salad.

Just as Natalie was finishing up dinner, Zach walked in, and in a quiet voice asked, "Is Keith all right?"

"He's sick," she frowned, stirring the soup before facing him.

"Oh, is it bad?" he asked, grabbing some bowls from the cupboard and setting them next to the stove.

"I think just has a cold, but I don't know," sighed Natalie as she began dishing the soup into five bowls. "He's definitely gotten worse since this morning."

"He just needs to eat something and get some sleep," mused Zach. He spoke the exact words Natalie had been thinking.

She placed the soup bowls on the kitchen table before facing Zach. "Think you could go get Cynthia and wake up Keith?"

"Sure, be right back," he said.

While Zach was getting Cynthia and Keith, Natalie finished setting the table. Just as she was placing a pitcher of water on the table Zach walked in, followed by Cynthia. "I hope it snows a lot, so much that it'll keep snowing all tomorrow so then I won't have school on Monday!" she stated excitedly as she sat down.

"Didn't you just have a week off for Spring Break?" asked Natalie. "Aren't you bored?"

Cynthia shook her head. "Yes, but I'd rather spend time at home and watch my Hannah Montana DVDs," she stated. "Do you think I'll have school?"

"If it snows like it is now all day tomorrow, then probably not," said Natalie, before turning to Zach. "Did you wake Keith up?"

"Yeah, he looked really out of it. Are you sure he only has a cold?" he wondered, and then added, "He said he'd be here in a second."

"I hope he only has a cold," she said softly as she began filling everyone's bowls with salad. Just as she finished Keith walked in. He had a blanket wrapped around him, and was walking sluggishly. He sat down at the table, just before he started coughing.

At the sound of his cough, everyone stopped eating, to glance at him. After a few minutes of painful coughing, Natalie filled his cup of water and handed it to him. He drank from it gratefully. The water seemed to work, and once he placed the cup on the table, he turned to Natalie and said, "Thanks."

"That doesn't sound like a very good cough, man," said Zach, looking at Keith, concerned.

Keith shrugged. "I'm fine; I just have a cold or something."

"Are you going to be okay?" asked Cynthia, concern etched on her face.

"I'm going to be fine. I'll probably be good as new by tomorrow!" he said optimistically.

"Good," frowned Cynthia, "'Cause I don't like seeing you sick."

Keith gave Cynthia an encouraging smile, but Natalie could tell it was laced with doubt. They ate in silence for a while, until Natalie glanced over to Keith, who had barely touched his soup.

"Do you not like it?" she asked.

He shrugged. "It's good. I'm just not very hungry," he weakly admitted.

This was not a good sign.

"Keith, you really need to eat. To get better you need to have food in you. Plus, you can't keep taking medicine on an empty stomach."

He sighed, before bringing his salad close to him. "I know. I'll eat it, I promise."

She smiled and returned to her dinner. He just needed to eat, and go to bed early, then he'd be fine by morning, right?

She sure hoped so.

After she was done eating he salad, Natalie glanced back to Keith to see the progress he had made.

Not much.

He had an elbow resting on the table, and his head resting on the palm of his hand as he stared into his bowl of soup. "Keith," she started, "Do you want me to make you something else?"

He jumped a little, almost as if he had spaced out for a bit. He sat up, shaking his head a little before filling his spoon with some soup. "No," he said after he swallowed, "this is fine."

However, a few minutes later, Keith spoke up again and said, "Partner, I can't eat this." He looked thoroughly upset.

"It's fine. I'll save it and you can get it later, when you get hungry," she said, hoping he didn't think she was mad.

She went to grab his bowl, but suddenly Keith moaned, "I want to go to bed. I don't feel well."

"Okay," said Natalie, not trying to sound as nervous as she felt. While he was standing up, she grabbed the cough medicine from the counter.

"Night," said Keith, to Cynthia and Zach.

"Feel better, Keith, k?" said Cynthia.

"Night, man," said Zach. Natalie could see worry hidden behind his eyes.

Slowly, Natalie followed Keith to his room. He seemed to have no energy and it worried her greatly. As soon as he walked into his room, he crawled under his covers, still with the blanket wrapped around him.

Natalie placed the back of her hand on his forehead and felt heat. "Shit," she cursed quietly, as she opened the drawer of the nightstand and grabbed a thermometer. "Keith, sweetie, can you sit up for a minute? I need to take your temperature and then you can have some of your cough medicine."

He moaned, and slid further underneath the covers. "'M tired," he said, his voice muffled from underneath the covers. "Can we do it later?"

"You want to get better, don't you?" asked Natalie sweetly. "The medicine will help. Make you feel better."

A few seconds of silence, then, a mumbled, "Okay."

Weakly, he sat up, resting his head against the headboard, before he opened his mouth, eyes closed, and waited for Natalie to place the thermometer underneath his tongue. A few minutes later, the thermometer beeped and she took it out of his mouth, and glanced at it, and felt dread fill her as she read the numbers.

He had a fever.

Luckily, it wasn't to a hundred yet, but it was close. Placing the thermometer on the nightstand, she grabbed his cough medicine, and filled the little plastic cup to the top. She placed the cup to Keith's lips and he took it in his hands and swallowed it.

Once he was lying back down and warm underneath the covers, Natalie spoke, "Do you need anything else?"

"No," he whispered, half asleep. "Thanks, partner."

Natalie smiled sadly, before kissing him on the forehead. "You come get me if you need anything, okay?"

"Uh huh," he murmured, before sleep claimed him.

* * *

Natalie retreated to her room and changed into her pajamas before walking back into the living room where Cynthia and Zach had retreated to.

"Natalie guess what!? The weather channel says the blizzard is going to last at least all through tomorrow. Isn't that cool?" said Cynthia.

"Yeah, great," she whispered as she walked over to the front door and glanced outside. The snow was falling down much harder since she had been home; it was definitely a blizzard. Her car almost had half a foot of snow piling on it already in the hour or so she had been home. Suddenly, concern flooded her and she turned around quickly to glance at Zach. "What if he needs to go to the doctor?" she asked frantically. "And we're stuck inside!"

"Natalie," said Zach, sounding so comforting it shocked her and she glanced into his eyes expectantly. "You're—we're—doing all we can. He'll be fine, okay?"

"Promise?" she whispered, as she sat down in the couch next to him.

Zach sighed. "Sis, I can't promise that. But, I _will _promise you that I'll try my hardest to help him out, okay?"

"Really?" she asked hopefully.

"Really," he whispered.

Natalie fell back onto the couch, a tiny bit relived. "Thanks, Zach."

"What are brothers for?" he asked.

* * *

**A/N: **_I've noticed that I have a ton of new readers and I was wondering where you all came from? Also, I want to thank Purple Shamrock 17 for researching colleges near Beaver Creek for me; it helped a lot! _

_Hope you enjoyed it. Please review._


	21. Save You

**A/N: **_I am so sorry for the delay. I could sit here and come up with excuses, but I figure you'd rather just read the chapter! So here it is and enjoy!_

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**Chapter Twenty-one: Save You **

Natalie took a sip of her tea as she kept her gaze focused outside on the falling snow. Never, at least that she could remember, had she seen it snow this much. On any other day should would have been excited for a snowstorm (she liked blizzards just as much as anyone else) but under the given circumstances she just wanted it to clear up so they could go to where they needed to.

The hospital.

It was where Keith needed to be even if she didn't want to admit it. As soon as she had woken up this morning, and found his temperature had risen she had called Dr. Normandy, frantic. Unfortunately, there was only so much he advice he could give over the phone. He did, however, stress how important it was that they get Keith to a hospital as soon as the snow let up.

He hadn't improved at all during the night, and now that it was nearing dinnertime the next day she was almost positive that he was steadily getting worse. She had tried to stay optimistic throughout the day, but every time she checked on him, any hope she had built up, diminished at the sight of him. His face constantly shined with sweat from his fever and his body shook with chills. His cough seemed to be getting worse and the few times he was awake, he frequently complained of it hurting to breathe. She tried to help him best she could, even attempting to get him to sleep sitting up, but it became uncomfortable for him after a few hours, and he opted to lie down instead.

His cough was also something to worry about. The painful deep cough was still there, but now he was emitting a painful wheezing sound when he was asleep. At first, she had suspected that it was from the cough, but the more time passed, she began to think it was something entirely different. All she knew was that it wasn't a good thing.

At all.

His actions—or lack thereof—bothered her because she never seen him like this—so weak, so lethargic, so _dependent_. It worried—no, it _terrified_ her because it was so _not_ Keith. All he really wanted to do was sleep. He was just too sick to care about anything (she had even tried to engage him about trucks earlier in the morning when he was awake, but he hadn't been interested).

Constantly, throughout the day, she had checked outside, just wishing that the snow would stop, but it hadn't let up even a bit. If it didn't stop and give the roads some time to clear up they were going to be in some serious trouble; she wasn't sure how much longer they had until it was mandatory that they Keith get to a hospital. He _needed _medical attention that much was obvious; whatever he had was not something she could cure at home.

Shaking her head, she cleared her thoughts as she tore her gaze away from the falling snow and instead glanced down to stare at her steaming cup of tea. Just as she was about to drift back into thought about Keith, Zach spoke up from behind her, "Natalie?" he asked hesitantly.

Jumping up a little, she turned to glance at Zach, who was looking at her with concern. "Geez, you scared me," she breathed. "What's up?"

He continued to stare at her for a few more seconds, before finally taking gaze off of her and glancing over to the island in the middle of the kitchen which had a bunch of food resting on it. "Are you okay?" he asked. "You looked like you had spaced out or something…" He turned back around to face her.

Carefully, she set down her cup, before making her way over to the island. "I'm fine, really. I was just watching the snow…" she stated, grabbing a big sauce pan from the cupboard and filling it with water before she placed it on the stove.

"How is he?" asked Zach, leaning up against the island.

Natalie turned on the stove, before glancing at Zach. "The same," she frowned.

"His temperature?"

"Still at a hundred and two," she sighed. She walked over to the island and began preparing a salad.

"Well, at least it _hasn't_ risen," stated Zach, trying to remain optimistic. He began setting the table for three.

"Yeah, for _now_ at least," she stated.

He walked over to the cabinets and began taking out plates. "I'll tell ya, April's freaking out about it all…" he mused.

"About Keith?" she asked.

Zach nodded. "Yeah, she seems just about as worried as all of us. She's even come up with plans on how we could get Keith to the hospital," he laughed, shaking his head.

Natalie laughed—for the first time all day. "Let's hear one," she stated.

Zach grabbed a pitcher and began filling it with water. "Well, her craziest one? She had the idea that she and Dawn could walk over and we could all walk through the blizzard with Keith on a gurney type thing."

"Are you serious?" laughed Natalie.

He nodded. "I never said they were _smart _ideas."

"Of course you didn't tell her that they weren't good ideas, did you?"

He rolled his eyes. "Of course not, I told her anything she thinks of is _brilliant_."

"You're in too deep," said Natalie, pouring a bag of dry spaghetti into the now bowling water.

"And you aren't?" joked back Zach.

"Shut up," she stated. After placing the dry spaghetti in the water, she finished preparing the salad, adding vinegar and oil for dressing. Once it was finished, she carried the bowl over to the table before walking over to the spaghetti and trying a piece. "Looks like it's about done," she said after tasting it. "Can you go get Cynthia?" she asked, as she turned the heat off.

"Is she still in her room—"

"Coloring pictures for Keith?" finished Natalie, shaking her head at the thought. If Cynthia kept up her pace, Keith was going to have hundreds of pictures adorning his wall by the time he was better and able to fully enjoy them.

"Sure," he said, before he walked out of the kitchen.

Dinner passed by quickly, and while Zach and Cynthia put away the dishes Natalie heated up Keith's soup from the night before, hoping that he was hungry. He had refused to eat anything all day, and even though Dr. Normandy said not to try to force him to eat anything if he didn't want to she was still going to _try_. Trying at least made her feel better, made her feel like she actually was doing _something_.

She hoped he'd eat a little and get some strength; it worried her how weak he seemed to have gotten just in the past day. Sighing to herself, she carried the warm bowl of soup and a bed tray in each hand as she made her way upstairs.

Keith's room was dark and stuffy when she walked in. Carefully, she set the bowl of soup on his nightstand before turning on the light that was on his nightstand. The light shined on Keith's face which was still shining with a thin layer of sweat from his fever.

Sitting down on the small space on the bed, next to Keith, she began to gently run her fingers softly down his cheek, hoping he'd wake up from her soft touch. A few seconds later, he stirred and coughed as he slowly dragged his eyes half-way open, squinting against the light.

"Hey," she whispered. "You feel any better?" She continued to stroke his cheek.

A soft groan passed his lips which Natalie took as a no.

He brought his shaky hand up to his mouth rolling away from her touch as he started coughing. Loud and painful coughs. She frowned and squeezed her eyes shut at the sound; it just sounded _so_ painful, and by the look on Keith's face it was. Once he was done coughing, he glanced at her and said, "It still hurts."

Frowning, Natalie responded, "I know, sweetie." It was all she could say. Right now, there was nothing she could do. The cough medicine only seemed to help him a little, if at all.

"Let's sit you up," she advised, waiting for him to begin attempting so, but he didn't. So, she grabbed him underneath the arms, and lifted his limp body up so he was leaning up against the headboard. He watched her with a fevered gaze as she placed the bed tray on his lap and then the bowl of soup as close to him as she could.

He scrunched his nose in disgust as he realized what Natalie wanted him to do. "'M not hungry," he moaned, turning his head away from her and the soup.

"Do you think you could try to eat? For me?" she softly persuaded.

He turned his head back to her, and stared at her for a few seconds, blinking his eyes slowly as if it took him longer to process what she had asked. "Okay," he finally mumbled, taking the spoon weakly from Natalie.

He didn't eat more than five spoonfuls, when he suddenly broke into a coughing fit. While coughing, he pushed the soup away, almost causing it to spill over; Natalie caught it just in time. "No more," he choked out between coughs. "I _don't _want to eat anymore."

She took the bed tray off of him and set it on the floor, before helping him lie back down. Just as he got comfortable, Cynthia walked in, a few pictures in her hand. "Is he asleep?" she asked softly.

"Not yet," whispered Natalie.

Cynthia took a few cautious steps towards him. "Can I just show him the drawings I made him?" she asked, not taking her gaze off of Keith's form. "I won't talk to him too long, I promise."

"Sure," said Natalie. "He might not say much, though."

"I know," said Cynthia seriously. "He's really sick and doesn't feel well. It's okay; I can do all the talking."

Cynthia stood in front of Natalie, glancing down at Keith for a few seconds before finally speaking. "Keith? Are you awake? It's Cynthia and I have something for you; something I want to show you."

He dragged his eyes open, glancing at Cynthia but didn't say anything. She lifted up one of her drawings and he brought his arm out and weakly grabbed it from her. "It's Hannah Montana. I colored it to look like the costume I wore for Halloween. Cool, huh?" She took the picture from his weak grip and replaced it with the other one. "This is Hannah Montana singing." She waited a few seconds for him to slowly and tiredly glance at the picture. When his eyes started falling closed, she took the picture from him. "Do you like them?" she whispered.

He gave her a tiny nod. "They're great…" he whispered, as his eyes fell closed, but he snapped them back open to glance up at Cynthia.

"You can go to sleep now. I'll just hang them up next to the others, all right?" she stated, walking over to the space above Keith's dresser where she had been taping up pictures throughout the day.

He attempted to watch Cynthia tape the pictures up, but he his eyelids finally kept falling closed, and finally they began too heavy and he succumbed to sleep.

* * *

Natalie didn't do much the rest of the night. Between checking on Keith frequently, she managed to clean up the living room and kitchen, while she talked to her parents on the phone. They had already stated that they were going to be coming home as soon as the snow stopped. Just by the tone in their voices Natalie could tell they felt guilty for leaving Keith. But Natalie was sure they didn't feel as guilty as she did.

She kept telling herself that Keith wouldn't be in this situation if she had just taken him to the doctor at the first signs of the cold. Regardless of feeling guilty, she had tried to tell them that no one knew he was going to get this sick. They—even _he_—had thought it was a simple cold.

But it wasn't.

They talked for a little while, and Natalie wondered if she should call Henry. However, they all decided against it, they didn't want to worry him about his son when there was nothing they or he could do to help him. After talking to them a little longer, she finally hung up and made her way quickly upstairs, wanting to only be one place.

With Keith.

Even if there was nothing she could do, she hoped that he was comforted by her presence. He was sound asleep when she walked in and didn't wake or even move as she made herself comfortable in the bed next to him.

Frowning, at the wheezing sound that was still there, she scooted closer to him. She just wanted that painful wheezing to go away—what was causing it, anyway? She was glad when she noticed that he wasn't currently shaking with the chills. Lightly, she kissed him on the cheek, before she grabbed his hand from underneath the covers, intertwining their fingers together.

She set to watching the rise and fall of his chest, even if it was a bit uneven the fact that he was still _breathing _was comforting to her. For how long she watched him she didn't know, but finally her eyelids got too heavy and sleep claimed her.

It hadn't been more than a few hours later, that Natalie felt someone weakly shaking her; it took her a few minutes to wake up fully, but when she finally did she remembered where she was and quickly turned around. "Keith?"

"Water," he wheezed before a coughing fit took over. In between coughs, he glanced at her again, looking upset she hadn't moved and said, "W-water."

Snapping in to action, Natalie threw the covers off saying, "Okay, hang on." Quickly, she grabbed his water bottle and walked into the bathroom outside his room.

Before she could even get into bed after filling his water bottle, he grabbed it from her and greedily began drinking from it. He was drinking it so quickly that half of it was getting on himself. "Slow down, you're going to choke," she advised, but he didn't listen, and continued to drink at rapid speed.

A few minutes later, he handed her the almost empty bottle. "Better?" she asked as she leaned up against the headboard. He didn't answer, only gave her a fevered gaze. Natalie was just about to ask him if he needed anything else, but what he did next shocked her.

He scooted closer to her and rested his head on her lap, before grabbing his blankets and covering himself with them, shivering. His chills were back. Gently, she began running her fingers down his back, knowing how much he liked it.

And within minutes, he was asleep.

* * *

The next morning, Natalie woke to pain in her neck. Groaning, she realized that she had fallen asleep sitting up in bed. Glancing down, she realized that Keith was still in the same position that he had fallen asleep in, his head resting on her lap. She studied him for a few seconds, and the longer she did the deeper she began to frown. She placed the back of her hand to his forehead and the instance flesh touched flesh, she cursed loudly. He was warm; too warm.

He was burning up.

Gently, she lifted Keith up off of her lap hating how she could feel the heat radiating off of him. He was limp, almost like a rag doll as she rested him against his pillow. He kicked off his covers, emitting a low pitiful moan. She hadn't wanted to move him, but in the position they had both been in there was no way she'd be able to get his thermometer.

His gaze was on her as she leaned over him to grab the thermometer. "Hey, there," she said softly with a frown. "Not feeling too well, are you?"

He didn't answer, only continued to stare.

"Think I can take your temperature?" she asked. Obediently, he opened his mouth, allowing her to put the thermometer underneath his tongue. "There ya go," she said, as he closed his mouth.

She didn't like the way Keith was breathing. The wheezing was still present, but it seemed to her that he was having an even _harder_ time breathing that he had yesterday—his breaths were almost coming in short gasps, like he couldn't get enough air in his lungs.

The thermometer beeped, taking her attention off of Keith's labored breathing and to the small device. When she glanced down at the numbers, she felt dread fill her stomach as the number kept flashing in her vision.

104.

This was bad, _really _bad. Dr. Normandy had stressed how important it was to keep his temperature down, and it hadn't gone down but significantly up. Quickly, she stood up, leaving Keith by himself to grab some Tylenol and a lukewarm wash cloth from the bathroom —the only devices she could think of that would hopefully lower his temperature a bit.

When she got back, she helped him sit up so he could take the medicine. After, she helped him lie back down on the bed before she placed the rag on his forehead, but he didn't seem too pleased about it and weakly pushed it off, causing it to land on his pillow. "Keith, please keep it on. It'll lower your temperature."

"It's _cold_," he whimpered, as his body shook with the chills.

"You don't have any covers on. Here," she started, bending down and grabbing the sheet and comforter he had kicked off and covering him with it, "you can have these on and then keep the rag on, all right?"

He still didn't look too pleased, but didn't have the energy to argue so remained compliant as Natalie put the rag back on his forehead. "I'll be right back, okay?" she said, standing up. She wanted to make a phone call to Dr. Normandy and see what she should do about his increase in temperature.

At this, he opened his eyes, looking at her with a sad expression. "I'll be back, I promise. I just have to make a few calls." She waited to see if he would respond, but he didn't, only continued to stare at her with the same expression. "I bet Cynthia will come and keep you company," she stated softly. He looked a little more pleased at this, so Natalie quietly left him and made her way towards Cynthia's room.

She knocked a few times, before walking in. Cynthia was sitting at her desk, and not to Natalie's surprise, coloring. "Hey, Cynthia," she started. "Think you can go sit with Keith for a while? I need to make some calls." Cynthia didn't look up from her coloring book. "Cynthia?" she repeated.

"I'm busy," she muttered, putting away a green marker and picking up a pink one.

"Cynthia, you just have to sit with him for a while, and once I'm done you can come back and color," said Natalie, standing up. It was a little strange that Cynthia didn't immediately run into Keith's room.

"I can't."

"Why not?" huffed Natalie, getting a bit irritated.

"'Cause, I just can't, okay?" hissed Cynthia, turning around to glare at Natalie.

"Why not?" repeated Natalie.

Natalie was surprised at Cynthia's next reaction. She turned around, keeping her gaze on the floor and softly muttered, "'Cause I don't really like seeing him that sick…"

"Oh," said Natalie surprised at her sister's statement.

Cynthia looked up at Natalie with sad eyes. "I'd rather just sit here and color pictures for him, than sit next to him. Plus…that weird sound he makes is weird…it's scary…"

Natalie frowned. "I know it's hard to see him like this, but he's really sick and not feeling well at all and I think he'd really like to have some company about now."

"Really?" stated Cynthia.

"Yes, really. Remember when you're sick Mom and Dad always watch movies with you and stuff?"

Cynthia nodded. "Yeah, I remember that. I felt really sick and wanted someone near me."

"See?" started Natalie. "That's exactly how Keith feels right now."

Cynthia nodded slowly for a while, before finally saying, "I guess I should go sit with him. I don't want him to feel lonely or sad or anything."

"Thank you," said Natalie. "You can even bring your coloring book and color while you watch him, I bet he'll be sleeping most of the time anyway."

Cynthia's eyes sparkled in excitement, as she grabbed her colorings books and markers. "My plan is to color Keith so many pictures that _every bit_ of his walls are covered," she stated with a huge grin. "Won't he like that?"

Natalie shook her head back in forth, imaging Keith's reaction to the new decoration change to his room. "I'm sure he'll love it," she stated, a tiny grin gracing her face.

* * *

As soon as Natalie got downstairs, she tried calling Dr. Normandy, but he was with a patient and couldn't take her call. She had left him a message, asking him to call her back as soon as he could. According to the assistant, that she had left the message with, she indicated he might not call back for a while, apparently the hospital was crowded from accidents that the blizzard had caused. So, instead, she called her mom, hoping that she'd be able to give her some advice, but she only advised what to do that she had already done.

Caroline had only stated that if they needed to walk over to the neighbor, Mrs. Grant, and see if she could check Keith out, as she was a retired nurse. Natalie felt a bit better about this, but didn't want to bother Mrs. Grant unless it was imperative; she figured there was nothing else she could do to help Keith than she was already doing.

The only good thing that was going for them was that it had finally _stopped_ snowing and the clouds were rapidly opening up as the sun was beginning to peak out. She hoped the sun would begin clearing up the roads.

Cynthia seemed quite content coloring while staying with Keith, so Natalie decided to take a shower and then make an early lunch for everyone. A few hours, just as she had finished preparing some sandwiches, she heard Cynthia frantically calling her name. Zach, who was putting some chips on his plate, glanced at Natalie, before they both hurriedly ran upstairs.

"Cynthia, what happened?" asked Zach, and by the tone in his voice, Natalie suspected that whatever it was, it wasn't good.

Once Zach walked into the room, Natalie was able to see what was going on. Keith was sitting on the edge of the bed. "He threw up," she stated, looking extremely worried. "I didn't know what to do…he said he felt sick and I was trying to help him to the bathroom, but I wasn't quick enough…so the only thing I could find was a trash can."

"It's fine," said Zach, taking the trash can away from Keith.

Natalie hurriedly stood next to Keith, and before she could say anything, he grabbed her hand and said, "I'm gonna be sick again…" He swallowed thickly.

At this statement, Zach quickly sprung into action and helped Keith up and to the bathroom just in time.

Natalie was just about to go to Keith, but Cynthia stopped her and said, "I'm sorry. I just didn't know what to do."

"Hey," said Natalie softly. "It's fine. It's just good you were here to help him. How about you go downstairs and get something to eat?" she said, hoping to get Cynthia's mind off of what had just transpired.

"Is Keith gonna be okay?" she asked, blinking back some tears.

"Keith's going to be fine," she said, but she could tell her tone sounded doubtful.

"You keep saying that, though, and he keeps getting sicker!" she exclaimed. "I don't believe you!"

"I know," sighed Natalie, defeated. "The thing is Cynthia, he needs to go to a doctor so that can he can get the medicine he needs."

"But it's stopped snowing, so can't we go now?"

Natalie shook her head. "Not yet, the roads are still really bad. We have to let the sun melt some of the snow to make the roads better, and then we can go."

"Oh," said Cynthia, looking upset. "I _hate_ the snow. I _hate_ snow days."

"But I thought you loved them," said Natalie. "Especially making that snow ice cream, and building snowmen."

"I did, but not without Keith helping me; it's just not the same! Plus, if having a snow day means Keith has to get sicker and can't go to the doctor, then I'd rather not have them."

Cynthia was silent for a while before asking, "Do you think we can take him to the hospital tonight? Do you think the roads will be better? Then we can save him from feeling sick and he can get better and be funny again!"

"Possibly," said Natalie, but at the sound of Keith being sick in the bathroom she thought, _we may not have a choice_.\

* * *

Keith spent the new few hours in the bathroom throwing up; finally, though, he didn't feel like he was going to be sick again and wanted to go lie down. He didn't, however, want to go back to his room, but instead wanted to go downstairs, and sit in the recliner. Natalie suspected it had to do with him wanting to be elevated to help his breathing. Zach helped him slowly downstairs and onto the chair, while Natalie grabbed some blankets and put them on him.

Natalie made herself comfortable on the couch next to the chair Keith was in and turned on the television. She was pleased to find out that they had finally opened the highway. If only she or Zach had better cars, she probably would have demanded they leave now, but considering their cars, they'd end up stuck on the highway and in a worse situation.

A few hours later, Cynthia came walking into the living room, carrying some more pictures she had colored. She handed them to Natalie to check out.

While Natalie was looking through the new pictures, Cynthia turned to glance at Keith, who was asleep. "Why're his lips blue?" she asked curiously, a few seconds later, causing Natalie to look up.

"His lips are blue?" she asked.

Cynthia nodded, and pointed to Keith. "See?" she said.

Natalie glanced at Keith; his lips _did_ look a little blue. She got up and, wanting to check him more closely. His lips definitely had a blue tinge to them.

"Do you see?" wondered Cynthia as she jumped off the couch and walked over to stand next to Natalie. "Isn't it weird?"

Natalie closed her eyes tightly, feeling her heart begin to beat erratically at this sight. This wasn't good at all. "Zach," she called, voice cracking as she did so. "Zach!" she called, this time more loudly. She heard the pounding of steps, and he finally appeared, looking quite concerned.

"What is it?" he asked, taking deep breaths.

Natalie beckoned him over to Keith and pointed. "His lips are _blue_," she breathed. "This can't be good," she stated.

"Shit," he said, as he glanced at Keith's lips. Suddenly, he walked out of the room and towards the closet.

"Where are you going?" asked Natalie, following him.

He had opened the closet near the front door and was talking out his coat. "I'm going next door and getting Mrs. Grant. I want to hear what she has to say."

Natalie nodded, as she silently watched Zach leave the house. Once he closed the door, she walked back over to Keith, sitting on the far end of the couch, so she was close enough to him to grab his hand. Gently, she ran her thumb over the top of it.

Not more than ten minutes passed, before the front door opened and Zach walked in followed by Mrs. Grant. Natalie stood up, walking over to her and taking her coat from her. "Would you like anything to drink?" she asked.

Mrs. Grant shook her head. "I'm fine, dear. Let's check out this sick boy," she stated, waiting for Natalie to point her in the right direction.

As they walked into the living room where Keith was, Natalie said, "Thanks so much for coming. We just don't know what to do."

"Zach told me a little bit about his condition on the way. That he's undergoing chemotherapy and has been sick since Saturday?" she asked.

Natalie nodded. "Yeah, that's right. We thought he just had a cold…but then he just kept getting worse."

Mrs. Grant nodded before directing her attention to Keith. She placed the back of her hand to his forehead, shaking her head as soon as it reached contact. "He's burning up. Have you taken his temperature lately?"

"Yeah, a few hours ago. It was still at a hundred and four like this morning."

"His temperature is already something to worry about…" she mused, as she gently lifted one of Keith's hands up and inspected his fingertips. "This isn't good," she said, before turning around and glancing at Natalie and Zach. "His fingertips are blue too."

"What does that mean?" asked Natalie.

"He's not getting enough oxygen," she said.

"Not _enough_ oxygen?" breathed Natalie, shocked. "How is that—_why_ is that?"

"I think that he has pneumonia. It would make sense with the wheezing. Has he complained of breathing at all?"

Natalie nodded. "Yeah, sometimes…" Mrs. Grant turned back to glance at Keith for a few more seconds before turning back around. "What should we do?" asked Natalie desperately.

"I'm not going to lie. He needs a doctor."

"That's what I thought," frowned Natalie. "But the roads…"

"Are bad, I know," said Mrs. Grant, "But the highway has been open for a while."

Natalie shook her head. " I know, but there's no way either of our cars would make it..." she said, almost on the verge of tears. "What are we going to do; he needs to go to a doctor!"

Mrs. Grant walked over to Natalie. "It's all right. You've done everything you can. How about you borrow my husband's truck? It's should run much better in the snow than your car."

Natalie contemplated this for a few seconds, but before she could speak up, Zach did. "So, do you think we should go to the hospital tonight?" he asked. "You don't think we can wait till tomorrow?"

Shaking her head, Mrs. Grant said, "With his temperature and not getting enough oxygen, you should—_need_—to go tonight, especially since he's also undergoing chemotherapy. His immune system is highly compromised and it's going to be harder for his body to heal itself. If this is pneumonia, it can be serious, _really_ serious. In some cases, it _can be_ fatal."

* * *

It hadn't really been a question, really. As soon as Mrs. Grant had said that it could be fatal, they decided to take her up on the offer of using her truck. Natalie and Zach planned on packing a few things, as they weren't sure how long they were going to be.

Once she finished packing a few things for herself and Keith, she made her way downstairs, ready to get Keith ready. She wanted to get him in some warmer clothes than the pajamas he was wearing. "Keith," she whispered, gently shaking him. He opened his eyes, moaning, but once he caught sight of Natalie, he tried to turn on his other side as if he thought she was going to make him do something that didn't involve sleep. "Sweetie, you need to get up. We're leaving."

"I'm tired. I wanna stay here," he wheezed, taking in short breaths.

Natalie began to take off his blankets, knowing that she was going to have to do most of the work on getting him ready. Once she took off his covers (which he wasn't too happy about) she brought the chair up from his reclining position. She grabbed his black hoodie that she had brought down and began putting it on him. It was hard as he didn't help at all, and she had to keep preventing him from falling back onto the chair; he had absolutely no energy.

"I don't want this on," he moaned, weakly trying to take the hoodie off, once Natalie had gotten it on.

"Keith," said Natalie seriously, but not too serious that she sounded mad. "We need to take you to the hospital, and it's really cold out so I need to put warm clothes on you, all right?"

He had stopped trying to take the hoodie off, but Natalie suspected it was because it took too much work than from what she said. He glanced at her with a fevered gaze and said, "Hospital?"

Natalie nodded. "Yeah, the hospital," she whispered.

He blinked, slowly. "Oh. Okay."

After that, he didn't fight Natalie, as she proceeded to put on sweatpants over his thin pajama bottoms, boots, hat, gloves, scarf—she put everything on him that she could think of, wanting to make sure he'd be as warm as possible in case they got stuck in the snow.

"All done," said Natalie, as she stood up. "You wait here until we're about to leave." He sat there, his head hung low, looking quite oblivious and indifferent as to what was actually going on.

They left five minutes later. Mr. Grant had driven the truck over onto the driveway not wanting to have Keith make the walk over to their house. Cynthia sat in the back with Keith, while Natalie sat in the passenger seat to help Zach out. The whole entire way to the hospital, Natalie held her breath. Never, had she ever been in a car when the roads were in such bad conditions; she was actually surprised they had even opened the highway. There was one time that she thought they were going to crash when the truck slid on a patch of ice, Natalie was just glad that Zach seemed to be able to drive quite calmly with the roads in such dangerous conditions.

Every few minutes, Natalie would check on Keith and was glad to see him fast asleep. They had brought a pillow for him, which they had propped up on a window, allowing him to have some type of elevation.

It wasn't until they were about ten miles away from the hospital that Keith woke up, complaining that his chest hurt. No matter what position Cynthia had tried to get him to lay in, he seemed in no mood to sleep. He seemed too distressed and agitated with trying to breathe that sleep didn't seem at all pleasing to him.

"It's gonna be okay, Keith," said Cynthia as Zach finally pulled into the hospital parking lot. "We're here now and you're gonna get medicine and get all better!" she exclaimed happily.

Keith didn't look at all comforted by this statement, as he continued to take in short breaths. "I can't breathe," he wheezed as Natalie opened the passenger door.

Before getting out she turned to glance at him. "I know, sweetie, just hang on, all right?" He stared at her, his green eyes shining with fever.

Trying to hurry, Natalie quickly got out and waited until Cynthia got out before she helped Keith. She didn't expect what happened next. Not realizing Keith was a bit unsteady, as soon as he stepped out of the truck, he slipped on a patch of ice and fell. The impact he had on the ground was hard, but as soon as she heard him mutter, "_ow_" over and over again, she knew he had hurt something.

Quickly, Zach lifted Keith up from underneath his arm, standing him up. He had to keep a steady grip on Keith who was swaying on the spot. Keeping one hand on Keith's shoulder he gently asked, "Keith, can I see your wrist?"

Keith frantically shook his head, holding his left hand closely to his chest.

"What's wrong with his wrist?" asked Natalie, carefully stepping on the ice Keith had fallen on.

"I'm not sure," said Zach, "I think he may have landed on it…"

"Keith, let me see your hand," demanded Natalie, but softly. She gently took his hand, and when she did pain crossed his face, singling that he had definitely injured it. "Does it hurt?" she asked, not sure what else to ask. He nodded. "Did you land on it?"

He nodded again before, in a dry voice, he said, "It hurts and I wanna lie down; it's cold." For a second, it looked like he was just going to sit down on the snow, but instead he leaned his weight up against Natalie.

"I know," sighed Natalie. "But, we just need to walk inside the hospital and then you can get some help? Think you can do that?"

He didn't look so sure and said, "I dunno…my head feels kind of weird…" He started to cough.

Natalie knew they needed to get him inside, so she began walking with him. He leaned most of his weight on her. She kept a steady grip on him, making sure that he wouldn't slip and fall again. It didn't take them too long to get inside, and as soon as they did Natalie led Keith to the front desk, ready to sign him in. However, as soon as the receptionist, who Natalie remembered as Emily, saw Keith, she jumped up, clearly concerned.

"Oh, Keith, you poor thing," she stated, as she turned around and whispered something to another nurse. "We're gonna take you to a room right now…" she stated. Keith didn't say anything, only watched through half-closed eyes as the nurse that Emily had talked to came and began leading Keith to a room.

It was a tinier one than normal, but Natalie figured it was because they were so crowded. As soon as Keith saw the bed he sat down on it, head hung low as he waited for someone to do something. Rachel gently moved him so he was leaning comfortably against the back of the small hospital bed. She was just about to back up, when her eyes knitted in worry. "How long have his lips been blue?" she asked, as she went to grab his hand, but Keith opened his eyes and uttered a painful moan.

"Don't," he muttered.

Worried and confused, Rachel looked behind to Natalie who said, "He fell on his wrist on the way inside. I think it could be broken," she muttered. "And we just noticed a few hours ago about his blue lips…his fingertips are blue too."

"I'll look at that in a minute, all right, Keith?" she asked, gently setting his back down, and grabbing his other hand. "I'll be right back with some supplies. I'm going to do a basic test, take his temperature and stuff, and then take him to get some x-rays for his wrist and chest."

"Chest?" asked Natalie.

Rachel nodded. "Yeah, with the way he's breathing and his blue lips, I think he has pneumonia, but we can only confirm that from chest x-rays."

"All right," said Natalie.

Rachel nodded, and told them she'd be right back. But ten minutes had passed, and Rachel hadn't returned. Natalie was just about to get up and go get someone, when Keith started coughing. The same loud and painful coughs he had been coughing for the past few days. But this time, however, he couldn't seem to stop and because of this couldn't catch his breath. "Can't….breathe…" he muttered, looking incredibly nervous.

Natalie felt Keith grab one of her hands tightly in fear, as he tried to catch his breath. He glanced at Natalie with frightful eyes, as if willing her to help him. But there was nothing she _could_ do. "Shit. Zach, go get someone," she yelled frantically.

But Zach was already on his way out of the room. Natalie saw, from the corner of her eye Cynthia start crying as she stared at Keith with big, frightful eyes. Keith had stopped coughing, but was still having an increasingly hard time breathing. Every breath he took seemed to take a great amount of energy out of him.

He kept trying to catch his breath, and that was when Natalie felt his grip on her hand completely loosen. His head feel back against the bed as his eyes fluttered closed.

"Keith! _Keith!_" screamed Natalie frantically. With shaking hands, she shook him, hard, just willing him to wake up.

But he never did_._

_

* * *

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**A/N:** _I hope you guys enjoyed it! Please review and thanks for reading! Again, I'm sorry for the long delay in posting._


	22. Slipping Away

**A/N: **_I am so sorry I took so long to update again! I got sick and was unable to write. I will try my hardest to get the next chapter up by Thanksgiving day! Thanks so much for the reviews and for reading! Enjoy…well, um, try to at least…_

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* * *

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**Chapter Twenty-two: Slipping Away**

Despite her efforts, the nurses kicked Natalie out of Keith's room, telling her to sit in the waiting room while they tried to help Keith.

That was hours ago.

At first, she had sat there, staring at the clock, but after an hour passed, she knew that she and her siblings weren't going to know any news on Keith for a while. So, she took staring outside, trying to get the vision of Keith fighting to breathe…fighting for life, out of her mind.

But it was impossible. No matter how hard she tried to think of something else, she couldn't stop thinking of his frightful eyes while he tried to fight to breath, and the feeling of his grip finally loosening from hers.

She was _going _to lose him.

How she knew this, she didn't know. Maybe it was a feeling, or just the simple fact that she knew there were only some many times he could come to the hospital and leave.

Staring outside didn't help keep her mind off Keith very well, but it did past the time. Just as the sun was rising she felt someone stand next to her, and she knew it was Dr. Normandy. Slowly, she moved positions so she was facing him, worried about what they were going to tell her.

She made sure to keep her gaze focused on her lap. She didn't want to look him in his eyes. Eyes told too many things—things she didn't want to know. Not yet. Clearing her dry throat, she finally asked, "How is he?"

"We had to move him into ICU. He's—"

"Natalie?" the sleep-filled voice of Cynthia interrupted Dr. Normandy, silencing the both of them. "Can we see Keith yet?" she asked, rubbing her eyes as she looked back and forth between the both of them.

Breathing deeply, Natalie turned towards Cynthia. "In a minute, all right? How about you go get a candy bar or something," she stated, indicating towards her purse. She didn't want Cynthia to hear what Dr. Normandy had to say, she would rather tell her herself…in nicer terms…if possible.

Cynthia nodded, as she picked up the purse from the floor. Natalie didn't like the fact that she didn't smile, not even at the prospect of sugar and chocolate. Just as Cynthia finally disappeared in search of a vending machine, Natalie woke up Zach, before turning back to Dr. Normandy. This time she looked him in the eyes.

Dr. Normandy continued once he had both of their attention. "He's in ICU. He had to be put on a ventilator. He can't breathe on his own right now."

"A ventilator?" breathed Natalie, shocked.

Nodding, Dr. Normandy said, "Yeah, it will breathe for him until he can on his own."

"Oh," she whispered, glancing down to her lap. She had to take a few seconds to process what she had just been told. A few seconds later, once she was composed enough, she glanced back up and asked, "So, what does he have?"

Natalie could tell this was the one question he didn't want to answer, by the silence that followed it. "Well," he started, a few seconds later. Natalie knew the list was going to be long, and tried to mentally prepare herself for it. "First off, he did break his wrist. It's not that bad of a break, but we've put him in a cast," he said, stating the least worrisome news.

He continued. "Now onto more pressing matters. He has an extremely high temperature, which we are going to be monitoring very closely throughout the night. He is also extremely dehydrated and is getting re-hydrated through an IV."

"Okay," said Natalie, nodding her head, a little impatient. She just wanted to know what was wrong with him. "So, do you know what he has?" she asked quietly.

"He has pneumonia—his lungs were so full of fluids it sounded like he was under water." He shook his head, as if he was trying to shake the memory away.

"But, that's treatable, right?" she asked, not understanding why he look at upset as this bit of news.

Frowning, he said, "Not necessarily. You see, there are two type of pneumonia's. Viral and Bacterial. Bacterial we can kill with antibiotics, but viral—viral the patient has to fight it off themselves."

"He has viral, doesn't he?" stated Natalie. It wasn't a question, really. She couldn't tell just by the _look_ in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "We're trying everything we can do, but we just have to hope that Keith can fight this."

"Do—do you think he will be able to?" she asked, hesitantly. "Fight this, I mean?" she added.

"I think you should call Henry," he said instead, not answering her question, but it was a straight enough answer for her. "He—he should be here."

Nodding, she asked, just as Cynthia came walking over eating a snickers, "O-okay. Can I—we—see Keith now?" Squeezing her eyes shut, she breathed in deeply, trying to get rid of the painful prickling behind her eyes. She wasn't going to cry. Not right now. Now wasn't the right time.

"Yeah, absolutely," he said, trying to seem a bit optimistic. Before he stood up, however, he added, "I just have to warn you, if he does happen to wake up, he won't be able to talk, since he's sedated."

"Sedated, why?" wondered Natalie.

"People who are put on a ventilator are sedated, not too much, but just enough that if and when they wake up they won't freak out and try and take the ventilator out. Being sedated allows the patient to not feel how uncomfortable the ventilator is. But, if he does wake up, just talk to him like you normally would, just to make him feel as comfortable as possible, all right?"

Natalie and Zach, both nodded, while Cynthia looking incredibly confused and upset. "Is Keith gonna be okay?" she asked.

Zach turned to her and said, "We don't know, Cynthia. He's really sick, but we're going to go sit with him in his room and keep him company."

"Can I color him more pictures?" she asked. Natalie could tell she was trying hard not to cry. "For his hospital room?"

"Definitely," answered Zach, standing up and grabbing Cynthia's backpack.

They all three followed Dr. Normandy towards the ICU floor. As soon as Natalie walked into Keith's room, she had to close her eyes to prevent the tears from falling. When she was certain she was composed enough, she walked inside to stand next to his hospital bed.

He looked so incredibly weak that it took her a few seconds to process his appearance. She hated the stupid ventilator that was attached to him; it looked so painful and so wrong. But, then, she didn't hate it because it was the only thing allowing him to breathe.

To _live_.

Gently, she took his right hand and twined their fingers together, hating how cold it felt against her skin, despite his high temperature. With her free hand, she gently stroked the side of his face, hoping that it was comforting to him. "Hey, Keith," she whispered. "We're all here—Zach, Cynthia, and I—we're going to keep you company, okay? You just rest, and get better, _please_. We all love you and want you to get better."

It was the only thing she could think to say. She didn't know why it was so hard to actually _say _the words, when there were so many she _wanted_ to say.

The silence in the room was broken a few minutes later by Cynthia. "Natalie?" she asked. "Can I sign his cast and make it look cool?"

Shocked, Natalie turned her attention off of Keith and to her sister. "Yeah," she smiled, softly. "Yeah, you can. He'll like that."

* * *

Cynthia took extreme care to make Keith's cast look as cool as she possibly could. An hour later, she finally allowed Natalie and Zach to take a look. Regretfully, Natalie let go of Keith's hand to walk to the other side and check out his new decorated cast.

It took Natalie a few minutes for her eyes to adjust to all of the colorful colors. "Wow, Cynthia," she started, "you did a great job. He's going to love it."

"You think?" she asked, glancing up to Natalie with pleading eyes.

"Definitely."

"I signed it here," she said, indicating to her rather large signature that was near the top of his hand. "And guess what that is?" she asked, excitedly, pointing to a picture that was more up the arm of the cast.

"It's Honeybun's signature!" Cynthia finally exclaimed, not being able to wait any longer. "Don't you see? That's Honeybun," she said pointing to a picture that did look surprisingly similar to a truck. "I drew her and then wrote her name near her."

Natalie felt a grin grace her face as she stood back up. "Now, he's going to love that," she stated.

Cynthia inspected her drawing again, furrowing her eyes as she said, "I didn't color her yellow, since his cast is already that color, so I just outlined it. It still looks good, right?"

"It's great, Cynthia," said Zach who was peering over Natalie's shoulder. "Looks _just_ like his truck."

"Really?" she breathed, incredibly excited. Zach nodded and she grinned—a huge one that reached her eyes. "Great. I'm gonna start coloring him pictures now, to hang up in this room," she stated, walking over to the tiny couch and pulling out her Hannah Montana coloring books, markers, and crayons. She looked like she was planning on being there for a while.

Natalie watched Cynthia for a few more seconds, before she began to move back to her seat, but she felt a gentle grip on her upper arm and stopped, turning around to glance at her brother. "What?" she whispered.

"Don't you think," He stopped, and instead said, "Think you should call Henry? He-he might want to get a flight," he asked, quickly, but softly, and all in one breath.

"Right," she said, turning her attention towards Keith.

"Do you want me to do it?" asked Zach, a few seconds later.

Honestly, she did. She didn't want to call Henry, and tell him the news, but she knew it was her he'd most like to hear it from. Shaking her head, she said, "No, no. I'll do it. I should do it." She walked over to the chair she had been previously sitting in and grabbed her purse, before making her way out of the room. "I'll be back in a bit."

She walked down the hall, looking for a place where she could be alone to call Henry. Surprisingly, it didn't take too long. A little ways down the hallway, she found a small bench leaning up against a rather large window.

It was perfect.

She sat down on the bench, but when she saw the clear sky, she changed positions so she was leaning up against the arm of it so she could stare up to the sky.

It was in that moment that she wished she was at her and Keith's spot, with him, but she wasn't. Instead she was in Keith's least favorite place, the hospital—and probably the last place he would ever be.

For a while she stared at the stars, trying to remember any of the constellations that Keith had told her, but she couldn't. Her mind wasn't focused. He needed to be there, next to her, and tell them, again, to her. She wanted to be able to turn her gaze to the right, just a little bit, and see Keith smiling as he trailed the sky with his finger, trying to tell her as much information about the sky—the universe—as she would let him. But when she turned her head, just to check, he wasn't there. It was empty.

She was alone.

The feeling engulfed her and she didn't like it. This was an all too familiar feeling that she thought she would never feel again, but now wondered all long it was going to stay.

Choking back tears, she glanced at the sky, ready to drift back to memories of her and Keith, when she saw it.

A shooting star.

As soon as it graced the sky, Keith's voices surrounded her. _My mom always used to tell me if you see a shooting star, you make a wish._

And so she did.

She wished, simply, for Keith. She wished that he would get better, that he would fight this so they could be together forever.

For infinity.

When she was done wishing, the shooting star was gone, out of her sight, as quickly as it had appeared. Almost frantically, she trailed her gaze across the whole sky, hoping to find more shooting stars so she could make more wishes. She wanted to pile them up, so high, that they would _have_ to come true.

But no more appeared.

Sighing, she finally turned her gaze away and her eyes caught her cell phone sitting on her lap. She picked it up, and flipped it open, only to feel tears fill her eyes as the sight.

On the background was a picture of Keith. She remembered the day clearly.

"_Keith! Don't you dare!" screamed Natalie as she tried to run away from him, but he skillfully grabbed the hood of her jacket and dumped a huge snowball down her back. "Keith!" she hissed, trying to get the cold snow out of her sweater._

_He laughed as he ran, and fast, from her. There was no way to she could catch him, he was way too fast. So, sneakily, she grabbed a huge handful of muddy snow, and held it behind her back. A few minutes later, he came panting back. "Why didn't you chase me?" he asked, his breath coming out in white clouds from the cold._

"_You're too fast," she stated simply, trying to look innocent, but he caught on. _

"_What're you hiding?" he asked._

"_Nothing."_

_His eyes narrowed. "Partner—" he started, but before he could glance behind her back to see what she was up to, she did it. _

_She threw the snowball, mud and all, right in his face. At the look on his face, she started cracking up so hard, tears filled her eyes. Wiping them away, she got a look at his shocked face. "Funny, partner, real funny," he stated, moving his head, trying to get some of the mud off._

_He brought his hand up, intending on wiping the mud off, "No, don't," she said, stopping him._

"_Why not?" he asked. "You want me to walk around the park with snow and mud on my face stopping people and saying, 'hi, my girlfriend did that, sweet, huh?'"_

"_No, silly," she said, grabbing something out of her pocket. Her cell phone. She quickly opened it, and aimed it at him. "Smile."_

_He didn't, instead, he stuck out his tongue, his cheeks glowing red from the cold of the snow. His green eyes stood out. _

_Quickly, she applied it to her background, just as Keith took the phone from her grip. "Why do you need a picture of me on your background?" he asked, squishing his nose in confusion. _

"'_Cause," she said, taking her phone from him, "then you'll always be near me."_

_Gently, he grabbed her arm, pulling her close to him. "You don't need a picture, partner, I'm _always_ near you. Always."_

Hastily, Natalie dialed the number she knew by heart, not wanting to look at the picture anymore, breaking her memory of that day. She didn't want to think any more. No more memories, no more good, happy memories.

She tried to calm herself down, while the phone rang, but there wasn't much she could do. "Hello?" Henry's voice spoke a few seconds later. Silence. She couldn't seem to find her voice to respond to him. "Hello?" he repeated.

"Henry?" she finally choked out.

"Natalie, what is it?" he asked, immediately noticing the tone in her voice.

She didn't want to talk long, so she went straight to the point. "It's Keith."

"What happened? What is it?" he asked, frantic. "Is he all right?" he added moments later.

A tear slid down her cheek. "No, he's not. He's in the hospital."

"Oh my god. What happened?"

"He's been…sick. Really sick. I—we were snowed in. There was nothing we could do and he just kept getting sicker. I'm sorry, I should have done more. He shouldn't have gotten this sick…but—"

Henry cut her off. "Natalie, it's okay. What does he have?"

"Pneumonia. Henry, it's bad. He's in ICU. He can't breathe on his own. They had to put him on a ventilator. They don't know—they don't know if he's-he's going to m-make it."

The tone of Henry's voice, when he finally spoke up, caused goosebumps to appear on Natalie's skin. "I should come out there, then?" His voice was so small, so broken, so devastated.

"Yeah," she sniffed. "You probably should."

"I'll be there as soon as I can. Tell him—tell him I'm coming. Even if he's not awake. Just tell him his dad is coming."

* * *

That night Natalie didn't sleep. Instead, she sat close to Keith's bed, watching him.

Just watching.

Making sure that the ventilator was working and that he was still _alive_. She wished she could get into the small hospital bed with him, like they had once before, so she could be closer to him. But she knew now, that this time, it wasn't possible.

Gently, she grabbed his right hand, which was lying limply at his side, intertwining their fingers together. She hated how cold his hand was, despite his high temperature.

Softly, she brought the back of his hand up to her lips and lightly kissed it. "I love you," she whispered, lips touching the back of his hand.

She couldn't even think about the thought of losing him. If she lost him, she was going to fall apart.

She would _break_.

* * *

Natalie didn't sleep the whole night, or throughout the next day. She just stayed by Keith's side, making sure that he was still alive, making sure that the disease still hadn't taken him from her yet.

Making sure he was still fighting.

Finally, towards the late afternoon, Zach made her get up and stretch her legs. And she did with only mild complaint. She wandered the halls, not exactly sure where she was going…or if she even really headed anywhere. Her mind was just full of wandering thoughts of what her life would be like without Keith.

Was it wrong to think that she couldn't even imagine her life without him? What was she going to do? He completed her life; he made her understand her life.

She _needed_ him.

She didn't wander the halls for very long, not wanting to stay away from Keith for too long, only stopping at the cafeteria to grab a large cup of coffee, hoping it'd allow her to stay awake. There was no way she was going to sleep, not when she wasn't sure how much longer she'd be able to be with Keith.

She could sleep later.

When she walked back to Keith's room, she was shocked to see Henry there, sitting in the chair she had next to Keith's bed. The moment she walked in, Henry stood up, walked over to her, and gave her a big hug. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. He didn't say anything, only pulled away from her hug, grabbing another chair and placing it next to the other one so they both had a place to sit.

"He broke his wrist," he stated, once they were both sitting.

"Yeah," she said, choking back a sob. "He-he slipped on the way in…" she trailed off, squeezing her eyes as she tired to get rid of the horrible image of Keith's weak body slipping on the ice.

She didn't know what else to say to him; what else could she say really say? That she was sorry? That if she wouldn't have been so naïve he wouldn't be in this situation?

It was silent for a long while, before Henry cleared his throat and said, "One time, when Keith was about seven, Sandra and I took him to the park to play..." He stopped giving a dry chuckle. "Of course, I think he enjoyed riding in the front of my truck more than actually playing at the park." Natalie laughed, imagining Keith's excited face as he sat in the front of his dad's truck.

"Sometimes," he whispered, lowering his voice as if this was a big secret that he didn't want anyone else to hear, "when I would go get gas, I would let Keith sit on my lap and put his hands on the wheel. He thought he was _so cool_, driving the truck, I never had to heart to tell him that he wasn't _really_ driving."

"Seems like he's been obsessed with trucks forever," laughed Natalie.

Henry nodded. "Oh, yeah, I think he was born with a Truck Loving Gene. I use to take him to my second job when he was a baby, it was cheaper than getting a babysitter, and between you and me, I didn't trust any one else with my son. And, man, he would watch me, so intently, it was like he was memorized with how big the trucks were. By the time he was old enough to help out, he did. The workers even thought that they'd have to start paying him." He stopped talking, as if he was stopped to this about another specific memory.

Natalie gave him a few minutes before finally she asked, "So, what about at the park?"

"Right," Henry chuckled. "Well, he was playing for a while, and then I remember him screaming and running over to Sandra and I, trying his darnest not to cry, while gripping his hand."

Natalie's eyes got wide. "What happened?"

"He had been stung by a bee, and apparently he was allergic, because he started swelling. I picked him up and we rushed him to the hospital." He stopped to compose himself. "Anyway, we got him to the hospital, and I clearly remember, later on that night, he looked up at me, with those big green eyes all proud saying, 'see Dad, I'm a fighter'."

Tears filled Natalie's eyes at this comment. Henry turned to look at Natalie. "He's a fighter, Natalie, he's _going_ beat this."

She was silent. There was nothing she could say to this. She wanted to believe him, wanted to have the same optimism he had, but she just didn't.

A few seconds later, Henry spoke up again, and Natalie could tell that he was trying not to cry. "You know, I always thought that losing Sandra would be the hardest thing, but now, nothing compares to the fact that I might lose him. That I might lose my son. I thought I was prepared for this, I really did," he cried. "But, I'm not, Natalie."

She watched as he put his head in his hands, his shoulder shaking his sobs. Quietly, her voice cracking, she said, "Neither am I."

* * *

For the next few hours, Henry told Natalie stories of Keith. She hadn't wanted him to stop, but her parents had finally arrived. Tired, but concerned.

"Poor thing," sighed Caroline, as she walked over to Keith, gently running her fingers down his cheek, giving him motherly affection. Once she was done checking Keith, she turned her attention to Henry and Natalie. She looked like she wanted to say something, but wasn't sure what. "Have you guys eaten?" she finally asked.

"No," said Natalie. Food didn't sound all the appetizing. Henry shook his head as well.

"How about we all go get something in the cafeteria?" At Natalie's look she quickly added, "Keith will be fine, dear. It won't be long."

It took Natalie a few minutes to agree, but finally she did, figuring eating something would be a good idea. As she was walking out of the room, though, she saw the pile of Keith's clothes that he had came in. She stopped suddenly, staring at them for a while, before she suddenly grabbed his black hoodie that he wore almost every day and brought it up to her face, breathing in his scent deeply. She didn't care what people thought of her as she stood there, breathing his scent of oil and mint.

It she thought deeply enough, she could imagine his warm skin against hers, his warm breath against his neck as they shared their love. She shook her head, riding her mind of all the thoughts, she went to go place the hoodie back down, but thought otherwise and instead, put it on.

The warmth of it surrounded her, and so did his familiar scent, and she didn't want it to go away. She never wanted to take it off.

Not ever.

When she finally looked up, her parents were gone. Henry, however, was still standing there, and she was grateful that he wasn't giving her a strange look, but one more of understanding. Silently, they shared a look, and slowly, together, made their way into the cafeteria.

It didn't take her long to decide what to eat, as honestly, she didn't really care. The food wouldn't have any taste anyway. She decided on a hamburger and some fries.

When she sat down, silence permeated the room. She stared down at her food, but felt as if she was going to be sick, just looking at it. Slowly, she took a bite, knowing that she wouldn't be able to go see Keith again until she ate something.

She was halfway through her meal when Caroline spoke up, her attention focused on Cynthia. "Would you like some dessert, sweetie?" she asked. "Chocolate ice cream, maybe?"

No one was expecting the reaction from Cynthia, tears filled her eyes and she started crying, loudly. More like sobbing, really. She was crying so hard, she was taking in deep breaths, just so she could breathe. "What? What did I say?" asked Caroline, looking incredibly worried and upset.

"It's-it's Keith favorite," choked out Cynthia before she began sobbing again. "He-he loves chocolate ice-ice cream."

Natalie couldn't take this anymore, watching Cynthia crying made her want to do the same thing. So, without thinking, she got up quickly, making her way outside. Why, she didn't know. She just knew she had to get away.

Far away from the grief, the sadness, the sickness.

She wasn't sure where she was heading until she was facing the truck they had driven in. Without thinking, she tried the door, figuring it would be locked, but surprisingly it wasn't. So, slowly she got in the driver's side.

She got comfortable before she gripped the steering wheel so tight that her knuckles were turning white. If she could have anything right now, she wanted Keith sitting next to her, his eyes shining with excitement, telling her everything was going to be all right.

She wanted his comfort; his reassurance. But he couldn't give it; he wasn't there.

Trying to stop the flow of tears from falling, she kept her gaze straight, trying to imagine anything else other than what was going on. She wasn't sure how long she had been sitting there; it couldn't have been more than fifteen minutes, when she heard someone get into the passenger seat next to her. She didn't bother to see who.

"You know, Keith would be really pissed to find out you're in the hospital with hypothermia because we were sitting in a truck without a coat on." Zach.

"I have a coat on," she weakly argued.

He nodded, not sure how to respond. Instead, he stared ahead and asked, "So, what're you doing?"

She cleared her throat. "I'm going on an adventure."

"An adventure?" he asked, thankfully playing along. "To where?"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "The sky's the limit."

"You're right," whispered Zach, "It is."

She sniffed, before saying, "But, for right now, we're in the jungle."

"The jungle?" said Zach, a small grin gracing his face.

"Yeah," she nodded. "There's this T-Rex around here that I'm trying to find…"

"A T-Rex, huh?" said Zach. "What're you going to say to him once you find him?"

She wanted to keep playing along, really she did. But it just wasn't the same without Keith. It just wasn't. "Zach," she choked out, "Zach, he—he can't die," she cried. "He just can't, Zach." She looked over to him, finally, and was shocked to see his eyes a bit red. "What am I going to do? He completes me. If he dies…I'm going to break…I'm going to be broken." A sudden force of tears began, and she couldn't seem to stop them. She was sobbing so much and so powerfully that she was worried she wasn't going to be able to catch her breath.

She was slightly aware as she felt Zach wrap his arm around her shoulder and pull her close to his chest. Gripping onto his t-shirt, she let out all of her fear, her worry, but most of all…she let out all of her pain.

* * *

Natalie had never been more thankful for Zach's comfort. She knew she shouldn't have cried; knew she shouldn't be crying now, not when Keith wasn't gone yet. But she hadn't been able to help it.

It had finally gotten too cold, and she and Zach made their way back inside. Zach went back into the waiting room where Natalie saw Cynthia sleeping as she made her way back into Keith's room.

When she got there, Henry was asleep in the chair next to Keith's bed. He was gripping onto Keith's hand, tightly. The sight almost made Natalie want to start crying again.

Quietly, as not to wake Henry, Natalie walked over to Keith, giving him a kiss on the forehead before she made her way to the tiny couch in the room. She leaned up against it, trying to stay as uncomfortable as possible so she wouldn't fall asleep, so she could stare at Keith and make sure he was okay.

But, no matter how uncomfortable she was, her eyelids finally got too heavy and she unwillingly fell asleep.

"_He's not going to make it," the soft, sad voice of Dr. Normandy spoke, causing Natalie to squeeze her eyes shut, trying to prevent tears from building. It didn't help; tears still fell through her closed eyes. "There's—we've tried everything, but—I'm sorry."_

_Those words—those dreaded, excruciating words—caused her to start shaking. She was shaking so badly, almost as if it was below freezing in the room. _

_She tried to process what those words meant—that Keith was going to be torn away from her forever, but she just couldn't. She couldn't imagine her life without him. Maybe if she stayed in denial long enough, it wouldn't happen._

_He wouldn't die._

_But she knew that it was going to happen, as she listened to Dr. Normandy tell her that she should go to Keith._

_That she should be with him for the last time._

_And so she did, she followed him, with blurry vision, until they made it to Keith's room. She walked inside slowly, hoping that maybe if she did everything slowly, that time would slow down._

_When she finally got to his hospital bed, she took his cold, shaky hand and intertwined their fingers together. As soon as she did this, he dragged his eyes open, blinking at her for a few seconds, before in a low, painful voice he said, "Partner."_

"_Keith," she replied back, trying to hold back the tears, but she couldn't and had to take her other hand to wipe them away._

"_Lie next to me," he breathed, eyes falling closed, but he dragged them back open, looking at her, waiting for her to do what he had requested. "P-please."_

"_All right," she whispered. Not letting go of his hand, she got into the tiny hospital bed; however, instead of lying next to him, she leaned her back against the back of the bed, and gently coaxed Keith to lie on her lap._

_How they managed to get in the position on such a small bed, she didn't know, but she was extremely grateful. She stared at him for a while, hating how every time he tried to take in a short breath, pain would flash in his eyes. Part of her wanted him to close his eyes, so she wouldn't have to see the pain emitting from._

_But he didn't, no matter how little energy he had he kept them open and focused on her, almost as if he was looking at her for the last time._

_Which, really, he was._

"_Don't be sad, p-partner." He stopped, trying to take a breath. "Just-just think. I-I got what I wanted."_

"_What was that?" she asked, tears blurring her vision. She didn't want to cry now; she wanted to see him fully and clearly for the last time._

"_I-1 got a little more time." He closed his eyes, as he tried to breathe in another painful breath of air, but this time it didn't seem to work as well. It was getting harder and harder for him to breathe._

_As hard as it was, she gave him a tiny forced smile, as she gently ran her fingers down the side of his face with the other hand that wasn't gripped onto his shaky one. Instinctually, he leaned into her touch, eyes fluttering close. She cupped the side of his face as she bent down, closing her eyes as their lips touched._

_For the last time._

_She didn't want it to end—the kiss. She wanted to memorize the way his lips felt against hers—soft, moist, and just _so_ perfect. _

_But it did. It had to. No matter how much she didn't want it to._

_Reluctantly, she pulled away, and when she sat up his green eyes were staring back at her, shinning with tears. "I-I love you, partner," he wheezed. She felt the slight grip he had on her hand all but completely loosen._

"_I love you, too, Keith," she cried. "For infinity."_

_Slowly, and painfully, his eyes fluttered closed against his will as he took his last breath. She felt as his whole body slackened, and he was still on her lap._

_She knew the image of him so still, so lifeless, was going to haunt her…forever._

Natalie bit back a sob as her eyes shot open. Slowly, she sat up, realizing that she had fallen asleep on the couch. She wiped at her eyes, trying to control her shaking.

Nothing worked.

She felt like she was going into a panic attack. She stood up from the couch, making her way over to Keith's still form. She got as close to his bed as she could, and bent down near him, whispering, "Keith, Keith," she paused. "Please—please tell me that it was _just a dream_. Please. Please tell me it's not going to come true."

She knew he couldn't; knew she was being unreasonable, but she wanted his comfort, his reassurance he always gave her after her nightmares.

But, for the first time, he couldn't give them.

She had to get away, get far away from his still, unmoving form. She couldn't stand it anymore. It reminded her too much of her nightmare.

Reminded her too much of what could…what most likely _was_ going to happen.

She didn't realize where she was headed until she found herself in the same hallway that she had called Henry. She sat down in the bench, but this time, she didn't attempt to look at the stars. Instead, she lowered her head into her hands and cried into Keith's hoodie, so hard, harder than she had earlier with her brother.

She was just so scared, so scared of not knowing. Not knowing if Keith was going to be torn away from her forever, just like he had been in her nightmare.

She didn't know how long she sat there crying, until a tiny, hesitant voice spoke up, "Are you all right?"

Slowly, Natalie lifted her head up, quickly wiping away the tears. When she felt most of them were gone, she turned her head a little to look at the person who had spoke. "I'm—" She stopped herself, and instead said, shaking her head, "No, no, I'm not fine at all."

The girl frowned, nervously handing out her hand saying, "I'm Aimee, and—do you want to talk about it? Maybe it'll help."

"Natalie," she whispered, glancing down to her lap. "Um...it's my boyfriend."

"He is all right?" Aimee questioned her voice soft and comforting.

Natalie averted her gaze back to Aimee's concerned one. "No," she shook her head. "He has—has pneumonia and they don't think his body's going to be able to fight it off, his immune system it's just too weak…" she trailed off.

Natalie was shocked when Aimee released a dry laugh. A little upset, she was about to say something, but Aimee spoke up first. "I'm sorry...it's just a little too familiar for my liking…"

"Familiar? What do you mean?" wondered Natalie.

Aimee shrugged, a bit hesitant, and Natalie didn't think she was going to say anything, but she finally spoke, "It's just…a few years ago my boyfriend, he died from pneumonia."

Natalie's eyes got wide and she said, "Oh my god, I had no idea. I—"

Aimee cut her off. "Hey, it's fine. Plus, I'm the one that was questioning you about it anyway."

"Still," said Natalie, "I'm really sorry." They were both silent, until Natalie hesitantly spoke up. "Um…was it hard?"

Aimee blinked quickly, and Natalie suspected she was blinking back tears. "Hard? Oh god, yes," She stopped to compose herself. "Hard is probably the wrong word. Actually, I don't think there's any word out there that I can use to describe how I felt…how I still feel." She stopped to glance at Natalie, but at Natalie's devastated expression she added, "You know, I'm sorry to be so blunt, but nothing can prepare you for it. You know, they always say that time heals all wounds? Well, personally, I think it's a bunch of bullshit."

"Really?"

Aimee nodded. "Yes, he's been gone almost two and a half years and I still think about him every day. Everything still reminds me of him." She stopped, shaking her head as if she wanted to get rid of horrible memories. "It doesn't get easier…you just…you learn to move on."

"I-I can't lose him," muttered Natalie, feeling a tear slid down her face.

"I know," whispered Aimee and Natalie knew she knew what she meant. "Hey, I always found talking about Jason helped me…so maybe, if you want, you could talk about him? I don't know… it might help. I'll listen."

For a few seconds, Natalie debated the request. For the whole day she had been preventing herself from thinking about Keith, but maybe that's what she was doing wrong. Maybe she did need to talk about him.

So she did.

* * *

Natalie would have kept talking to Aimee, all night, if she could, but they were interrupted when a frantic and out of breath Henry stopped in front of them. "Natalie," he panted, "I've been looking everywhere for you."

At the sight of him, Natalie felt her heart drop to her stomach. Immediately, a horrible thought ran through her mind: Keith had died, and she hadn't been there. "What's wrong?" she asked, tears building in her eyes.

"His temperature, it's gone up. It's at a hundred and five now. Dr. Normandy, he wants to speak to us."

Relief—a tiny bit of it—coursed through her. At least he wasn't gone...yet. "O-okay," she stuttered, standing up. She turned towards Aimee. "Thanks for listening," she stated, extremely grateful.

Aimee stood up as well, giving both Henry and Natalie sympathetic looks. "It was no problem. I really hope he gets better," she whispered.

"Thanks," said Natalie, trying to fight back tears. He wasn't gone yet, there was no reason she should be crying. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her and she felt very selfish for not asking herself. "Aimee?"

"Yeah?"

"I-I hope you're not here for—"

Aimee cut her off, knowing what she was trying to say. "Oh, no. It's just my brother. Tried to skateboard on some ice today and broke his leg," she smiled. "Nothing bad, but thanks for asking."

"No, thank you. Really, it's helped…a lot."

"I'm glad," smiled Aimee, "but go. He needs you," she demanded softly, gesturing for Natalie to follow Henry who was waiting for her to follow him.

When Henry and Natalie arrived in Keith's room, everyone else was there, Dr. Normandy included. Natalie walked over to her chair next to Keith and sat down, taking his still hand between hers. Anxiously, she glanced over to Dr. Normandy, heart beating widely waiting for him to say the words she had been dreading since arriving at the hospital.

Dr. Normandy cleared his throat before speaking. "His temperature, it's at a hundred and five. We're trying everything to lower it, but it just keeps rising. If it gets any higher, he could go into a coma."

"A coma?" said Natalie, shocked.

Slowly, Dr. Normandy shook his head. "Yeah, but I wouldn't worry about that."

"Why not?" she asked, frantically blinking. "You're telling me he could—"

"Natalie," he started, stopping to a take a deep breath. "I-I don't—" He stopped, rephrasing his statement, "Keith may not make it through the night."

"What?" she cried. "Not-not through the night?" From the corner of her vision, she saw Henry place his head in his hands. "No, no. You're wrong. He's going to beat this—he just—"

"I'm sorry," said Dr. Normandy. "I just—it doesn't look like his body is going to be strong enough to fight this off. I—I just don't want to take any chances, and I think it would be smart if you guys say your goodbyes. Now just-just in case."

She felt herself shaking as a course of tears fell down her cheeks. She couldn't stop them, but it didn't matter, crying was okay now.

Because he wasn't winning this battle, he was slipping away from her, and fast.

He was _going_ to leave her.

* * *

She wanted to go last, so, she stood far back as she watched everyone else walk forward and say, what they all expected were their last goodbyes.

Her parents went first, and she had to lean her head up against the back of the wall, breathing deeply once she started hearing her mom crying. She, however, opened her eyes, when Cynthia started talking.

"Keith?" she said, her voice quiet and tiny. "I brought Sparkle, and I'm gonna leave her with you, because she'll make you better, okay?" She stopped talking for a few minutes, as if she was waiting for Keith to respond. But he never did. "Keith," she continued, a few minutes later, "I just wanna say that I love you and you can't die, 'cause then I'm not gonna have any one to show my Hannah Montana stuff to, or to dress up as Jesse McCartney for Halloween…" she trailed off, her eyes filling with tears. "Don't die, Keith, okay? You just can't. You and Natalie are supposed to be together forever!" At this, she began to sob and Caroline had to gently guide Cynthia out of the room, while trying to calm her down.

Natalie watched as Zach walked over to Keith. He was silent for a while, trailing his eyes over the many contraptions that were keeping Keith alive. "Hey, man, you need to fight this, all right? Who else am I going to get to beat those hard levels on my video games for me? You know I'm not as good as you." He gave a dry laugh. "You can't just give up now, man, you've got great things going for you, so try and fight this, all right?"

His lowered his voice considerably, and Natalie was surprised that he was kept talking. "I don't know if you know it, man, but you're my best friend. There I said it. You're one of the few, if not the only guy I know who is just…_real, _you're down to earth. You don't bullshit. You are who you are. Just, fight this, man; you've got your whole life ahead of you. And plus, you gotta be here for Natalie…"

His words caused a tear to slid down Natalie's face, and she watched as she glanced at Keith once more, shaking his head almost as if he was in denial, before walking out of the room, gaze focused on the floor.

Henry was next, and at first, Natalie thought to leave and give them some privacy, but she couldn't get her feet to move. If Keith was going to die soon, she was going to be with every last minute.

Every last second.

Surprisingly, Henry didn't say much, only gave Keith the tightest hug he could manage with all of the equipment that was attached to his son. Weakly, he muttered, "I love you son, I always will." He kissed Keith on the forehead, but seemed to have an increasingly hard time walking away. He did so slowly, and Natalie could see the tears in his eyes, threatening to fall.

Finally, when he let go of Keith's weak hand, he walked past Natalie, giving her a nod, almost as if to say. _"Good luck."_

Henry closed the door behind him, leaving her and Keith alone, Natalie stayed where she was, resting against the wall for a few seconds before she built up the courage and walked over and sat down in the chair next to Keith.

Slowly, she grabbed his hand, staring at it as she gently ran her thumb across it. What was she suppose to say? She wasn't ready for this. For another goodbye scene. This wasn't how the scene was supposed to happen. It was all wrong.

"Keith," she whispered, averting her eyes to his face. She took her free hand and cupped the side of his face, hating how incredibly warm he felt. "I'm sorry," she stuttered out. "I should have taken better care of you and I'm sorry."

She was silent for a while before saying, "I'm not going to say it, Keith. I'm not going to say goodbye, because…it's just too final. And I'm not going to give up, okay? I'm not giving up on you. Not now. Not ever. It's not your time, all right? You've still got a long life to life, and we're going to live it together."

All she wanted was a sign that he was listening, just a sign that she could have some hope. Even if it was just a little bit. That's all she needed. "Keith? Please, please let me know you're listening. Please," she cried, choking back the sobs and tears that threatened to come.

She sat there for a few minutes, just watching him, and then she stood up, running her fingers down the side of the face, when she felt it.

Movement.

It wasn't much; it was very subtle. She knew she was probably just hoping she felt it, rather than it actually happening. But then she felt it again. "Keith? Just wake up…for me…just for a second. Please, let me see you…" _One last time_, she wanted to add.

She didn't think he would, but slowly he opened his eyes. She knew he was sedated, knew he wouldn't be able to talk, but for now, it was enough.

He was staring at her, his gaze radiating confusion and fear and he glanced around the room. "Oh, sweetie," she sighed, bending down so their foreheads were touching. She kept her eyes open so she could stare into his bright green ones. When their eyes met, the fear and confusion vanished and changed to one of sadness and a bit of fear.

His eyes glazed with fever, but there were still open. "It's okay," she said quickly, remembering Dr. Normandy said to comfort him if he were to wake. "I love you, all right?" She felt tears build in her eyes, but frowned when she saw Keith's fill with tears as well. She hadn't meant to cry in front of him, scare him, making him cry too. "Shhh…don't—don't cry. I'm going to be with you. I'm not going to leave your side. Keith, I just want you to know that I love you, so so much."

She felt tears slide down her cheek, and when she saw one tear slide down Keith's cheek she gently kissed it away with her soft lips. At her touch, his eyes fluttered closed, but never opened again.

She sat back down in her chair, grabbing his hand. Bringing the back of it to her lips again like she had done the night before, she and kissed it, gently and softly. Slowly, she lowered their intertwined hands, so they were resting by Keith's side.

Just as she was about to rest her head on the bed, she felt it. Tiny and barely noticeable—the movement of Keith's hand in hers, as if he was giving all of his energy to try and grip onto her hand. It wasn't much, but it was enough.

It gave her hope.

* * *

**A/N: ***sigh* _I love Keith. Sometimes I wonder if I love him too much—wait is that even possible? That's all I have to say other than please review and thanks for reading. :)_


	23. Not Your Time

**A/N:** _Thanks so much for all of the reviews; I loved them! You guys are all amazing!_ _I am really sorry that I didn't update on Thanksgiving like I said I would, but I hope this long chapter makes up for it ( I seriously have no idea how it got this long). Please excuse the grammar errors, which I am sure there are tons. Those will be fixed at a later date. :) Well, enjoy!_

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* * *

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**Chapter Twenty-three: Not Your Time**

Time ticked by slowly.

Natalie had thought that time would go by quickly, too quickly, but she had been wrong.

Instead, it was as if every tick on the clock seemed to be haunting, provoking, teasing her. Was this how it was for people who just waited for someone to die? That's what she felt like she was doing. Just waiting for that certain minute, that certain second; in which, Keith's heart would beat its last.

And he would slip away from her, forever.

Throughout the whole night she tried to keep her eyes open, she wanted to be awake for that dreadful moment. She didn't want to be woken up to Keith's cold, still body, knowing that she hadn't been awake when he passed. But, no matter how hard she tried to keep her eyes open, she couldn't help it, the lack of sleep over the past few days finally caught up to her and she fell asleep, her head resting on the tiny space available on Keith's bed, still holding tightly onto his hand.

The next morning, when she woke, still gripping Keith's hand, she didn't immediately open her eyes. Too scared at what she'd find when she did.

However, it couldn't have been more than a few seconds, when she finally realized something.

Keith's hand was still _warm_.

At this revelation, she slowly sat up, blinking the sleep out of her eyes as she did so. She stared at Keith for a few moments and felt a tiny bit of relief flood through her. He still looked weak, and pale, but he most definitely looked still alive. Gently, she took her hand that wasn't gripping onto Keith's and lightly touched the side of his face.

Just to make sure that he was still alive. And he was.

He didn't seem to be as warm as he had the night before. That had to be good, right?

She wasn't sure how long she sat there, hand lightly touching the side of Keith's face; it was almost as if she was too scared to take her hand away, when she heard someone walk in and stand behind her. It took her a few moments to bring herself to speak and when she finally did, she stated, "He's still…"

Before she could finish her sentence, the person behind her gently cut her off, saying, "Alive, yes."

Those had to be the best words she had ever heard. Ever. "How?" she breathed. How was this possible? Wasn't it only hours ago that Dr. Normandy was almost certain that Keith wasn't going to survive the night?

Dr. Normandy moved to stand next to her. She took her hand off of Keith's face, and turned to glance at the person next to her. He looked just as shocked and just as confused as she did. He was silent for a few seconds. He cleared his throat."I have no idea how he did it," he said. "How he's _doing_ it." He stopped, shaking his head, before adding, "He's a fighter that one."

Natalie took a few seconds to process what he had said. Was he saying that Keith might…live? "You mean…do you think…" She wasn't sure how to word it. Or maybe she was just too scared to ask.

"That he'll beat this?" prompted Dr. Normandy, sensing what she was trying to ask.

Slowly, she nodded. "Um, yeah." She gave him a pleading look. _Please, just say what I want to hear_, she thought. _I'll do anything. Anything._

"Natalie," he started, suddenly serious, "medically, he shouldn't live." She felt her heart drop at this, but he hurriedly added, "However, it looks to me that Keith has some other plans. He's still not out of the woods yet, his temperature is still too high, but not as high as it was last night. And it does look like his body is slowly, very slowly, fighting off the pneumonia."

"Oh my god," she whispered, almost not letting herself believe his words. Those glorious and perfect words. "So you're saying you _think _he'll survive?"

A ghost of a smile crossed Dr. Normandy's lips. "I-I don't want to get your hopes up, but, honestly, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but, yes, I think he's going to make it." He stopped, shaking his head in amazement before saying, "He's like a miracle, that boy."

Tears were dangerously close to spilling out of Natalie's eyes. "Thank you. Thank you _so_ much," she repeated, squeezing Keith's hand tightly, letting him know she was still there, with him.

"I didn't do anything. Keith did it all," he gave another astonished look at Keith. "It seems to me, Natalie, that Keith has something he's fighting for."

The tears finally spilled over, running down her cheeks, but she didn't dare wipe them away. These were happy tears. Still crying, she lifted up Keith's warm hand, softly kissing the back of it. The touch sent tingles through her lips, causing her to shiver. When she broke away from the kiss, lips just barely gracing the back of his hand, and she whispered, "I love you."

* * *

The next two weeks were stressful for Natalie, but no matter how hard it was for her to see Keith like he was, she stayed by his side. She spent more time at the hospital, sitting next to him, than she did at home. Most nights she was found sleeping on the makeshift bed in Keith's room, just wanting to be near him.

Each day, she woke up with hope. Hope that he'd just open his eyes, or squeeze her hand even if it was just for a few seconds.

But he never did.

He just laid there, still and unmoving, while the ventilator allowed him to breathe, allowed him to live,

He even slept through his birthday.

Some days, when it got too hard to see Keith like he was, with all the machines attached to him, she would shamefully leave the hospital and drive to the one place she would feel calm and at peace.

Her and Keith's spot.

She would never stay long. Only long enough to clear her mind, and relax. She just had to keep reminding herself that Keith had almost been torn away from her.

Forever.

The moment she had been waiting for, for the past two weeks, happened late at night. She had just arrived, coming from her and Keith's spot, to find Henry there. She greeted him, before, giving Keith a kiss on the forehead, but this time it was different.

When she pulled away, tired green eyes were staring back at her. She knew she didn't have a long time, as he was blinking heavily; she was sure they were going to get too heavy soon, and he would succumb to sleep again. "Keith," she said, breathless, "sweetie." Quickly, she turned around, to glance at Henry. "His eyes, he's opened his eyes." When she turned back around to face him, she grabbed his hand tightly.

Henry was already on the other side of Keith's bed, looking down at his son, "Keith, thank god," he sighed, gently running his hand down the side of his son's face, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Keith," started Natalie, slowly, he turned his gaze to look at her. "Can you squeeze my hand? Just a little?" she asked.

It took him a few seconds, but he did so. It wasn't much, but his grip was definitely stronger than it had been two weeks back, when he had first arrived at the hospital. When they had thought he wasn't going to survive. "Good job," she cried. "We've missed you _so_ much."

Keith blinked again, and it took him a longer time to open his eyes. "Keith," said Henry, "we know you're tired. You can go back to sleep. Natalie and I will be here when you wake up again, okay? We promise."

Keith glanced back at Natalie, and once she nodded her head, his eyes closed. He was asleep almost instantly.

That night, neither Henry nor Natalie slept, wanting to keep their promise to Keith and be there when he woke again.

And they were.

* * *

The next three weeks, Keith's health improved drastically. He had begun to open his eyes more often, and for longer periods of time. His grip on Natalie's hand was also getting stronger as the days passed. With his drastic improvements, Dr. Normandy began weaning Keith off of the ventilator. He was anxious to get Keith off of the supply of oxygen, and get him to start breathing on his own.

Natalie had been there the first time they started the process of weaning Keith off of the ventilator, which meant they would turn his oxygen supply to see if he could breathe on his own.

She could still remember his frightened eyes as the nurse told him what they were going to do; she couldn't image how scared he was. She couldn't blame him; he _had _passed out from not being able to breathe. She wouldn't be surprised if he expected the same thing to happen again.

She wished could do something to take away his fear, so she did the only thing she could think of, she held his hand tightly and whispered comforting words to him.

Her touch and words calmed him down, and was the process was done and successful; she gave him a kiss on the forehead.

The more days that passed, the more excited she was to have Keith off of this ventilator. He'd be able to talk to her again, and she couldn't wait to hear his voice, kiss his lips.

There were so many things about him she missed. She missed his laugh, his lopsided grin, the complete feeling she got when he hugged her.

Simply, she missed _everything_ about him, about _them_.

A week after Keith's first weaning from the ventilator, Natalie walked into the hospital, anxious to see Keith but she was stopped from going into Keith's room by Henry, who was waiting outside of Keith's room.

"What's going on?" she asked, noticing that he look a bit worried.

But, when he glanced over to her, most of the worry disappeared and she immediately felt better. "They're taking Keith's ventilator out."

"Right now?" she asked. She was surprised she hadn't been told.

He nodded. "Yup, they said he's ready."

Natalie bit her lip. "Isn't it a bit…soon?" she asked.

He shook his head. "They don't think so. Plus, the longer he's on a ventilator the more his body will start relying on it."

"He'll be able to breathe, right?" she asked, knowing it was a dumb question. Of course they wouldn't take it out if he couldn't breathe, she just didn't want to see him struggling for something as simple as air anymore. That was something she _never_ wanted to see again.

"Of course," said Henry in a comforting tone. He was about to say something, but the door to Keith's room opened and Dr. Normandy walked out.

"Natalie, you're here," he said. "Good."

"How'd it go?" asked Henry, quickly.

He turned to look at Henry. Natalie walked closer to the two of them, making sure she could hear every word that was spoken. "Everything went well, but," he said, causing Natalie's heart to stop beating for a split second, "he was very agitated with not having supplied oxygen, so Rachel's putting him on an oxygen mask."

Natalie nodded slowly, taking everything in. "Will he still be able to talk? With the mask?" she asked. She just wanted to hear him say her name. That's all she wanted. Just once.

Dr. Normandy nodded. "Yeah, he's being put in a more long-term mask, so the mask will supply the needed oxygen through his nose. He'll be able to talk and eat with it on," he smiled. "We also took the feeding tube out, since he'll be able to eat on his own. He still has a bit of fluid in his lungs, so he will probably be coughing for a while, but it's nothing to be concerned about. He's still very weak and tired, so you may have to help him out with most things, and he probably won't stay up for very long at a time," he stated.

"Can I go see him?" blurted out Natalie. She didn't want to stand around talking anymore. She just wanted to see _him_.

"Absolutely, we shouldn't keep him waiting any longer. Plus," he said, eyes glinting, "he asked for you."

As soon as Natalie and Henry walked into the room, and Keith caught sight of them, a small grin crossed his face. "P-Partner," he said. She felt her knees go weak just at her nickname. "Dad."

Natalie walked over to Keith quickly, and when she got to him, she gently grabbed the side of his face with both of her hand and softy brought her lips to his. As soon as their lips met, she felt tears slid down her cheeks. Oh, how she missed his lips.

Finally, when she pulled away, she looked into his green eyes and said, "God, I missed you so much," she whispered, lips gracing each other's. "Don't ever scare me like that again, you understand?" Her voice cracked.

"I-I won't," he said. At this, Natalie pulled away from him, as she let out a small sob, her head falling onto his shoulder. She let the tears fall as she breathed in his scent, calming her. So many emotions were running through her, she just couldn't hold herself together. She couldn't believe how lucky she was; she couldn't comprehend how close she had been to losing him.

Weakly, he brought his good arm to wrap around her waist as she cried. "Sh-shhh," he soothed. "It's—I'm all right," he said.

When her tears were dry, she sat down in the sit next to Keith's bed, wiping her cheeks as Henry was finally able to hug his son. Once Henry let go, and sat down, Keith rested his head against his bed, as if the events had already tired him.

The room was silent for a while, as Natalie calmed herself down, before Keith spoke up, "I-I broke my wrist?" It came out more as a question.

"Yeah," said Natalie. "You slipped on the ice on the way into the hospital. Do you not remember?"

He looked thoughtful for a few seconds. "N-no. I don't remember…" He looked incredibly upset at this.

Quickly, Natalie said, "Hey, it's okay."

He coughed before saying, "But-but I like the-the art on it. Cynthia?"

Natalie smiled. "Yeah."

He gave her a small smile before he tried to change positions, but he didn't seem to have enough strength to do so and Henry finally, not being able to stand it any longer, got up and helped Keith get comfortable. "I-I'm still really weak," he weakly muttered. A hint of a blush was gracing his face, hinting that he was a bit embarrassed by this.

"That's understandable," said Henry, "you almost—" He stopped suddenly, looking upset and shocked by what he almost said.

"What?" said Keith. "That I almost died?"

At those words, Henry squeezed his eyes shut, as if trying to force away the painful, haunting memories. "Don't say that. Don't _ever_ say that."

"O-okay, I won't," said Keith. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, and Natalie thought he was going to fall asleep, but a few seconds later, he opened his eyes, and for the first time, he noticed all of the cards and flowers that were scattered around his room.

"Are those a-all for me?" he asked, weakly lifting his arm up to point at all the gifts.

Natalie nodded. "Yup," she said. "You've got a bunch get-well and birthday cards…"

"Birthday?" he asked. "I missed my birthday?" He looked quite upset at this.

"Yeah," she frowned. She didn't have the heart to tell him that it had been weeks since his birthday. Not now at least. "You did. But, hey, don't worry, we'll have a party and everything when you're feeling better, okay?"

This lifted his spirits up and he said, grinning, "Okay."

"Do you want to open some of your cards now?" she asked, noticing that he was still staring at them.

He shook his head. "No, no, I'm kind of tired. Maybe later, if that's okay." He closed his eyes and yawned.

"Of course," said Natalie. "You sleep now."

"Dad?" he said, and he didn't need to say anything else as Henry seemed to be able to read his mind. He stood up and helped Keith lower his bed back into a flat position. He made sure Keith was comfortable and warm enough, before he sat back down. "Thanks," whispered, closing his eyes. However, a few seconds later, he snapped them back open. "Partner?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you be here? When I wake up?" he asked, yawning.

"Of course," she said. "Don't worry. I'll be here. I love you."

He gave her a wan smile, before he snuggled against his pillows and sleep claimed him.

She watched Keith sleep for a few minutes, before she glanced at Henry. "I just can't believe, he's still here…with us," she said.

Henry gave her a small smile. "I guess, Natalie, that is just wasn't his time."

* * *

Even though Keith had the ventilator out, he spent the next few weeks in and out of sleep. But, during the time that he was awake, Natalie could see the he was indeed getting better, his strength was coming back, he was much more talkative, and was eating more.

The biggest clue to Natalie that he was feeling better, wasn't his strength coming back or his appetite—it was when he started to joke around. It was then that he she knew.

The old Keith was almost back.

Once he started showing signs of getting stronger, Natalie went back to work at Hooked on Books, even though Melanie had, at first, refused. She knew Melanie needed the help. Plus, she knew it would be good for her to get away from the hospital for a while, even if it was for a few hours.

Unfortunately, Henry had to fly back to Michigan, as he had already been away for way too long. Natalie hated seeing the look on his face when he said goodbye to Keith, she just hoped he would be able to come home soon.

For good.

It was nearing dinner time and the end of Natalie's shift at work, when the phone rang. "Hooked on Books, this is Natalie," she answered.

It was silent on the other end, and she was just about to hang up when a very deep voice said, "What are you wearing?"

"Excuse me?" she said, taken aback. But as soon as the words left her mouth, she felt a smile curve at the corners of her mouth.

She _knew_ that voice. Keith's.

"So, are you wearing those pink lacy ones or those black ones?"

She had to bit her lip to keep from laughing. Ah, the things he does when he's bored. "Actually, I'm not wearing anything…" she said casually.

There was a dead silence on the other end, and Natalie tried hard not to laugh at the expression she was sure was gracing his face. "_Nothing?_" he finally breathed out. The deep and husky voice he had been using before was now completely gone.

"Yup, nothin'." She stopped, moving the phone away from her face to laugh. Finally, when she was calm enough she said, "Yeah, so, um, who is this?"

"_Partner!_" he cried, his voice raising a few octaves.

"What?" she asked, her grin huge.

Stuttering he said, "You-you didn't know that was me on the phone? You just told a random person—_a random guy_—you were wearing nothing!"

"Yeah, pretty much," she said, but then she couldn't help it anymore and started laughing, uncontrollably, into the phone. When she was finally able to catch her breath, she said, "Keith, seriously, _of course_ I knew it was you."

"Are you sure?" he stated.

"Keith, really," she said, shaking her head back in forth. "What did you call for anyway?" she asked.

"Oh," he said, and his voice seemed much more tired now. "Um, are you coming over here after work?" he asked.

"Of course I am," she answered. She hated being away from him for a few hours, let alone a whole day.

"Good," he said. She could hear the smile in his voice. "When?" he finally added, not able to keep the anticipation out of his voice. She knew that since he was feeling better, he was getting more lonely sitting in the hospital by himself during the day. She didn't blame him.

"Soon, sweetie," she said.

"I'm bored," he said, and Natalie silently added in her head, _and lonely_.

"I know," she whispered. "Why don't you entertain yourself with some of the stuff I brought you?" she asked.

A few days ago, Keith had been getting so bored that he had asked Natalie to bring him some stuff to do. She had of course, brought him some books, which he promptly thrown back into the bag; some puzzles, and she had also picked up some truck magazines from Hooked on Books. It was hard to find stuff for him to do, as he really only had use of one hand.

"I did, but it got boring," he said. "Plus, I miss you."

Natalie smiled at his last statement. "I'll be there soon," she said. Not _soon_ enough. "In about an hour and a half, but I have to go," she stated, noticing a customer walking towards her, ready to make a purchase.

"Okay," he said. She heard him yawn. "Love you," he added. She felt her heart beat widely at those words. Those _words_ she was so dangerously close to never hearing again from him.

"Love you, too," she replied, _more than you'll ever believe_.

"Oh, wait, partner," he said, right before she went to hang up.

"Yes," she said slowly, as she began ringing up the customers purchases.

"Are you really wearing nothing?"

She laughed, feeling a blush rise on her cheek. She hoped the customer didn't hear that. "Who knows," she said, "maybe I am, maybe I'm not." She hung up before he could reply.

* * *

Natalie left Hooked on Books an hour after Keith's call. The whole way to the hospital, her lips were tingling with anticipation of Keith's kiss.

However, when she arrived in Keith's room, she was unable to get her kiss right away. He had fallen asleep. He looked like he was about to fall off the small hospital bed, and his feet were dangling off the edges, while most of his blankets were on the floor. Quietly, as not to wake him, she picked up the blankets and covered him with them. Then, and as carefully as she could, she gently grabbed the remote that was resting limply in his hands, and set it on his nightstand.

Just as she made herself comfortable in a chair, with a book, Rachel stepped in. "Ah, I see he didn't make it," she smiled, gently shutting the door behind her, before making her way over to Keith and checking him over. "He tried to wait up for you," she stated, glancing over to Natalie.

"Did he?" asked Natalie, giving Keith's form a small smile. She thought it was incredibly cute that he had tried. Rachel nodded, before grabbing Keith's chart and writing on it.

Natalie waited a few seconds before asking, "How's he feeling today?"

"Well, let's just say he spent all day complaining about how bored he was. So, I'd say he was feeling pretty good."

Natalie bit her lip to keep from smiling, remembering the phone call he had given her. "I miss him," she said. "I know it's weird, but even though I see him everyday…it's just not the same, you know? I hope he can come home soon," he weakly muttered.

Rachel set the chart back in its place before walking over to Natalie. "That's perfectly understandable. He's definitely getting better. I think the staff around here is going to have to start watching him more closely…or he's liable to start getting into trouble."

"Getting into trouble?"

Rachel let out a tiny laugh before saying, "That may be an understatement."

"What has he done?" she asked, sensing a story.

Rachel looked thoughtful for a moment, as if she was trying to choose the best one. "Let's see. One time he had to stay overnight a few nights, and he wasn't too happy about that. He was told to stay in bed, and get as much rest as he could, and let's just say he thought otherwise. After dinner one night, somehow he got out of his room without anyone seeing him and got as many kids that were feeling good enough up. Then, he came up with the brilliant idea to play hide and go seek, in the hospital. Let's just say the hospital has never been in a bigger frenzy. Imagine realizing ten of your patients were missing, and to top it all off they were children! Or teenagers," she adding, indicating towards Keith.

Natalie shook her head, "Only Keith would do something as crazy as that."

"He's a character that one," she said. "Of course, ever since then we've had kids trying to outdo him, prank-wise, but no one's beat him yet. Between you and me, all of those kids idolize him. He made this place, the hospital, one of fun for those kids, which is saying something. Well, I better get going. When he wakes up, call me, he needs to eat something."

"I will," said Natalie, she waited until Rachel left before she went to go back to her book, but right before she began reading, a voice spoke up.

"That's when I met Billy," Keith's mumbled voice spoke up. He still sounded half asleep.

"When?" asked Natalie.

Even though his eyes were still closed, a huge grin crossed his face. "During the hide and go seek night."

"Really?"

"Yeah," he muttered, sad. "He was such a cool dude."

"I'm sure he was," said Natalie, trying to be comforting.

"He was just too young…to go through all that…" he mumbled. _So are you_, she thought. He opened his eyes and green eyes stared back at her. "Hi, partner," he said. He pushed on a button on his bed, which moved it into a sitting position. Once he was settled, he turned to her and said, "How long have you been here?"

"Only a few minutes."

"Why didn't you wake me?"

"Because," she said, standing up and giving him a kiss on the lips. She couldn't have waited any longer to feel his lips against hers. She pulled away a little. "You looked too cute."

He blushed, and she ran her tongue across his bottom lip before pulling away. She was just about to sit down, when she felt it. "_Keith!_" she hissed.

"What?"

"What are _you _doing?"

He shrugged, trying to look innocent. "Just checking."

"Checking what?" she asked.

"Just to see if you really were wearing nothing."

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, Keith. In the hospital? Someone could have seen you!"

"So what? I was only touching my girlfriend's –"

"Shut up!" she hissed.

He laughed, but after a few minutes it turned to coughing. She handed him some water, and after he drank some he glanced at her. "You lied, though."

"Lied when? About what?" she said, taking his water bottle from him.

"You are wearing _something_."

* * *

Now that Keith was starting to feel better, Natalie was starting to get increasingly bored sitting in the hospital room with Keith. It wasn't because he himself was boring; it was the fact that he wouldn't stop watching television.

Baseball to be more exact.

She had never realized how much he liked it, but now she did. On many accounts she told him that he was obsessed with it and should find a better hobby, like reading.

He hadn't agreed.

Honestly, she thought she was going to go stir crazy if she had to watch another game of men trying to hit a ball with a bat and running in a half circle across the court…field or whatever it was called.

"Keith, can't we please change the channel?" she whined, as she stood up from her chair and began pacing the room.

Eyes still glued to the screen he said, in a distant, distracted voice, "No."

"Ugh," she said, throwing up her hands in defeat. "Keith, seriously, I would rather watch the grass grow."

At this, he took his gaze off of the television to look at her. "Okay," he said pointing towards the window that was in his room. "I'm sure if you glance out the window, there's at least _some_ grass you can watch."

"Fine," she said, heatedly crossing her arms and stomping over to the window. She flopped onto the small couch, and with a glare began staring outside at the grass.

They were quiet for a while, as she stared out the window at the grass. A few minutes later, Keith spoke up, "So, is it more exciting?" he asked.

"Yes," she said pouting, "much."

"Well," he said clapping his hands together in annoying delight. "It's almost as if you've got your own personalized T.V. show. I wonder what we could call it 'Spectacular Grass Growing' or, um, how about 'The Way the Grass Grows?' or—" He was cut off by a pillow that came flying towards him at incredible speed. However, he was able to doge it and instead the pillow hit the cards on his nightstand, causing them to fall onto the floor.

Suddenly, at the image of those cards, a bright idea coursed through Natalie; she couldn't help but smile. "Why do you look so happy?" asked Keith, "You didn't even hit me!"

"Oh no reason," she said in a sing-song voice. She turned back to face the grass, causing Keith to give her a strange look, before rolling his eyes. "Hey, Keith," she started casually, a few seconds later. "When do the Cubs play again?"

"Why? Are you planning on not showing up that day?" he asked.

She glanced at him, shrugging, "Just wondering."

He was silent for a few seconds, as if he was debating something, before saying, "Saturday at like seven, but don't think you can get out of it. I'll call Melanie and tell her not schedule you. She loves me, so she'll do whatever I say," he said, sounding quite proud of himself.

"Fine," said Natalie. She turned back around to face the window, intent on enjoying her new pastime—watching the grass grow.

At least it was _better_ than watching baseball.

* * *

The rest of the week, Natalie spent the time she wasn't hanging at the hospital, planning her surprise for Keith.

His birthday party.

She had spent most of the few days she had planning the party, trying to find the perfect gift for him. She never realized how hard he was to buy for. That was until, she was shopping at the mall, and she saw it. It was perfect. She could remember him ogling it almost every time she dragged him to the mall.

Saturday came quickly enough. She had planned for everyone she invited to meet her outside the hospital at six o'clock, one hour before the Cubs game started. She wanted to have everyone be there and all surprise him at once.

Brooke arrived first with Travis, with a bag of what looked like snacks. "Natalie!" she said as she walked up to her.

"Hey, Brooke, Travis," she smiled, "Thanks so much for coming."

"Hey, we haven't seen Keith in a while," said Travis, trying to open a bag of chips from the bag that Brooke was holding, but she slapped is hand away.

A few minutes later, Dawn, April, and Zach arrived with the pizzas and what looked to be a cake. "Did you bake him a cake?" questioned Natalie, once they met up with her.

"Of course, I did," said April. "I hope he likes it—it's all chocolate."

"Then, he'll love it," smiled Natalie. She was certain he'd like anything April baked.

They waited only a few more minutes, before Trish and Robbie arrived. Once they all greeted each other, they all made their way inside. When they got towards Keith's room, Natalie placed her finger to her lips to silence everyone.

"Is he sleeping?" whispered Brooke.

"I don't know," whispered Natalie back. Brooke was just about to ask something, but Natalie, already knowing what she was going to ask stated, "He's had plenty of rude awakenings from Cynthia, I think he'll survive. Okay, on three I'll open the door and we'll just scream 'surprise', all right?"

Everyone nodded, looking anxious. She faced towards the door, and quietly muttered, "One, two, three," then she slammed open the door as everyone screamed 'surprise'.

Brooke had been right. Keith had been sleeping, he shot up so fast, Natalie thought he was going to fall out of the bed. "What's going on?" he mumbled, glancing at everyone through half-open eyes.

"Happy Birthday," chimed in Dawn as she walked over to him and gave him a big hug. He still looked quite shocked and bewildered when she pulled away.

"What's going on?" he repeated, still glancing at everyone, trying to figure out why everyone was dropping presents on his lap and setting up food on the small table.

Natalie walked over to him and said, "This, Keith," she said, indicating towards everyone, "is the Birthday Scene."

"Birthday Scene?" he repeated.

"Yup, someone turned nineteen and didn't get to have a party!" exclaimed Trish and she began opening up some dip for the chips.

"This is my birthday party?" he asked, a grin started gracing his face.

"Yup," they all chorused at once.

Dawn added, "We're all here to watch the Cubs game with you."

At this, his eyes widened and he looked incredibly excited. "Really?" Trish nodded, and Keith turned towards Natalie. "I thought you said that you'd rather watch the grass grow?"

Travis, Zach, and Robbie all glanced over to Natalie with dumfounded expressions on their faces. "So?" she said, shrugging. "It's true."

"I'd have to agree with her," said April, as she made herself comfortable on Zach's lap.

"I will never understand the mind of a woman," mused Travis, as he grabbed a huge handful of chips.

Brooke glanced at him. "Oh, please," she said. "So, who wants pizza and chips?"

At this, everyone began filling up plates full of chips and dip, veggies, cookies and of course pizza. Once everyone had their plates filled and were comfortable, Trish said, "Well, how about you open your presents while we eat? I think you might want to _before _the game," she noted.

He smiled. Moving his plate over on his tray table as Natalie placed all of his gifts on top of it. "Which one should I start with?" he asked.

"Ours," chorused both Dawn and April. He grabbed the yellow wrapped gift. It took him longer than normal because he was only really able to use one hand, as he still had his cast on. When he finally did open it, his eyes got wide and a smile crossed his face.

"No way," he said.

"Yes way," they said, again, at the same time.

"What is it?" asked Natalie, leaning over to check it out. Inside the box were about five different video games. "Video games," she smiled. "Your favorite."

He glanced over each game, before looking over to Dawn and April and saying, "Thanks a lot. These are great."

After wards, Natalie indicated for him to open up her present, before Zach's. She was anxious to see his expression. He hadn't even finished opening the gift when he said, glancing over to Natalie, "You didn't. Did you?"

"Finish unwrapping it," she encouraged.

He did so. "Partner," he said. "I can't believe you got me one!"

"What is it?" asked Brooke.

"A PSP," he smiled, already trying to open up the package, but with only one hand he couldn't seem to, so Natalie grabbed it from him and did it herself.

"Dude, you're so lucky," said Robbie. "Those things are sick!"

When she handed the opened PSP back to an ecstatic Keith, he grabbed her arm and touched his lips to hers in a powerful kiss. His tongue entered her mouth, for only a second, and then he pulled away, "Thanks, partner."

Once Natalie was back in her seat, Zach said, "Dude, open mine! It's the red—"

"Horribly wrapped one?" spoke up April. At this, he glared at her and began tickling her sides. "Zach stop, seriously, stop it!" He did so. After, April glanced up to him and said, "I love you."

"Okay," said Natalie, averting her gaze from the sight. "Keith, you should, um, open that present up about now…"

Keith chuckled before grabbing Zach's rather unattractive wrapped present. Inside it was a bunch of games and movies for the PSP. "You might not be able to play the games until you get your cast off, but you can at least watch movies while you're sitting in here," said Zach.

"They're great. Thanks, man."

Keith went to grab the last present and Brooke quickly chimed in, "That one's from us four," she said, pointing to herself, Trish, Robbie, and Travis, "but we're all poor college students, and yeah…"

This caused Keith to get curious and he began quickly opening the package. When he had all of the wrapping paper off, he took the top off of the box off, and when he lifted the lid on the package his eyes got wide. "No way," he said, "Is this really what I think it is?"

"Yup," said Brooke, grinning.

"What is it?" asked Natalie, curious. She had tried to figure out what they had got him but not one of them told her, saying she'd have to wait and find out.

"They got me a Cubs jersey." Carefully, he took the jersey out of the box and handed it to Natalie.

"And authentic one, too," piped in Travis, "Not one of this shitty ones you get at Wal-Mart, either."

Keith glanced over to the four of them, gratitude and thankfulness radiating in his eyes. "You guys really shouldn't have. These are really expensive."

"So?" said Trish. "Be quiet and put it on!"

Natalie went to hand him back the jersey but he shook his head and said, "Can you help me put it on?" "Partner?"

"'Course," she said. At first, as she took the tags off with her teeth, before unbuttoning it. Then, she helped put the jersey on Keith. Once it was on, he looked down an admired it. "I bet you he'll never take it off," stated Natalie, before she suddenly remembered something. Quickly, she walked over to her bag. When she found what she was looking for, a smile graced her face, and she walked back over to Keith. "Couldn't forget this," she said, placing his Cub's hat gently on top of his head.

"I'm all set," he said, not able to contain the excitement in his voice. "Now, the game just needs to start." He leaned his head up against the hospital bed.

"Which is in about five minutes," said Robbie. He glanced over at Keith, who grabbed the remote from his nightstand and turned the T.V. onto the correct channel.

Five minutes later, just as the game started, Rachel went to walk in, and abruptly stopped as she caught sight of all the people. She collected herself, before carefully making her way over to Keith and handing him a few pills. He obediently took them. "Keith," she said as he swallowed, "you do realize you're only supposed to have three people in here at once?"

"Really?" he stated, handing her back the tiny plastic cup his pills had been in. "I had no idea."

She laughed, and quietly whispered, "I'm just going to act like I didn't see you guys."

"Thanks," he said, as he watched her make her way through all the people to the door.

Just as she was about to leave she said, "That is under the condition that you save me a piece of that cake."

"We will," said Keith, his attention focused back onto the game.

The game went by surprisingly fast, Natalie suspected that it was more because of the fact that she, Brooke, and Trish, didn't watch it but instead talked. Halfway during the game, they cut the cake and Keith had a tiny piece. He still wasn't eating as much as he should, but Natalie was just glad he was eating something.

During the last inning of the game, Trish got up to refill her drink, when she noticed something. "Natalie," she said, pointing to Keith, "he fell asleep."

He had indeed fallen asleep, in what looked to be a pretty uncomfortable position. His was leaning on his shoulder, Natalie was certain his neck was going to hurt when he woke up. "I'm not surprised," she whispered, as she carefully walked over to him. Quietly, she took the tray that had his food on it and placed it on the table next to her before, moving his bed to lie flat. As soon as his bed was in its resting position, he turned over, emitting a loud sigh, but not waking. She made sure he was covered, before making her way back over to her friends.

"He's going to miss the end of the game," frowned Brooke.

"Don't worry," said Natalie, "My mom is taping it at home, just in case he fell asleep."

"That was smart," piped in Trish, before they began talking about their plans for the summer.

After the game, everyone quietly, as to not wake Keith, helped Natalie clean up. "Thanks so much for coming, guys, he had a great time. "

"So did we," said Robbie, speaking for everyone. "We'll definitely come visit him again soon."

"He'll like that," she smiled.

"Oh, and tell him that when he gets out of this place he'll have to come to an _actual_ Cubs game with us," said Travis.

"Oh, boy, he'll love that," said Natalie. They left a few minutes later, and Natalie finished putting everything away, and was just about to get comfortable on her bed, when Keith woke up, "Did they leave?" he asked.

She stood up from the makeshift bed, and walked over to him, sitting on the edge of his bed. "Yeah, they had a lot of fun."

He smiled as he rolled onto his back. "I did too. Thanks for planning this, partner."

"It was no problem."

"I can't believe they got me a jersey," he said. "I've always wanted one. And thanks for getting me that PSP."

She bent down and kissed him on the lips before saying. "Glad you like it."

"Wanna join me?" he asked when she pulled away. He scooted over as far as he could to the side of his bed, and pulled back the covers, waiting for her to get under them.

Once she was settled, and facing him she said, "So, how does it feel to be nineteen?"

He thought for a few seconds. "Weird," he finally admitted.

"Weird?" she laughed. "That's a new way of putting it."

He stuck his tongue out at her before suddenly looking serious. "I don't know…it's just I never thought I was going to live this long and it's just weird…"

"So do you—do you know what—" she stopped not exactly sure how to word it. She knew they had had this conversation before, but she was curious if he had actual been thinking of anything.

"Do I know what I want to do in the future?" he started, knowing exactly what she was trying to ask. "Truthfully, I still haven't really thought about it—I try not to think about it. I don't know why…habit, maybe. I just know I want _you _to be in it. As long as I have you, everything for me is complete."

* * *

The next week, Keith's health continued to improve. He still did have days where he didn't feel very well, but they were told it wasn't anything to worry about and his body was still really weak, so sometimes it couldn't handle everything that it was dealing with. Keith still wore the breathing mask, although he didn't wear it half as much as he used to. He, really only needed it after he got up and walked around and tired himself out. Dr. Normandy suspected that he'd be able to be completely off the oxygen within a few weeks.

With Keith's improved health, Dr. Normandy had also decided that it was best to start up the chemo again. He had already missed two treatments, as it was nearing May and Dr. Normandy didn't want him to miss anymore. Keith was not excited about this, but they kept trying to tell him how imperative that it was he stayed on schedule. Natalie was shocked when he had asked her if she could be there during the treatment, and she readily consented. Of course she would be there; she'd do _anything_ for him.

His treatment was schedule for the late afternoon, so Natalie took an early morning shift at Hooked on Books, planning to arrive at the hospital just in time for the start of it.

However, when Natalie arrived, Keith wasn't sitting up in his bed like normal, but instead lying down while Rachel began getting the IV ready for his chemo. "Hey, there," she said, walking over to him and giving him a soft kiss on his cheek.

"Hi," he said.

Natalie frowned at his attitude. "You feeling okay?" she asked.

He only moaned and closed his eyes, attempting to get comfortable, which seemed almost impossible as his left arm was lifted up on the arm of the bed, as Rachel, cleaned the crook of his elbow with an alcohol swab.

"He's not feeling very well today," sighed Rachel, answering for him, as she threw away the alcohol swab and gently began prodding Keith's skin looking for a good vein, when she found one she placed the needle in quickly. Keith didn't even flinch.

"Does he have to get the chemo?" asked Natalie, knowing it was a dumb question. It was a little late to be asking, but she didn't like the fact that he was getting chemo when he already felt sick.

"Afraid so," said Rachel. "He's pretty off schedule as it is. Hopefully, he'll just sleep through it."

Natalie watched as she put everything away. "K, Keith," started Rachel, "I'll come and check on you latter. Let me know if you need anything." She gave one last sad look at Keith, before quietly leaving his room.

Once Rachel left, Keith turned onto his side and got as comfortable as he could, before closing is eyes, and falling asleep almost immediately. Natalie watched Keith's form for a few seconds, hating how weak his body looked. She couldn't wait to get him out of the hospital and start feeding him some real food again. He was just _so_ skinny.

With a heavy sigh, she grabbed a book from her bag, intent on reading. She hadn't read more than a few chapters, when Keith started tossing and turning. After a few minutes of watching him struggling to get comfortable, he finally spoke up, "Partner?"

"Yeah?" she asked, lowering her book.

"Can you hand me my water bottle?" he asked, still sounding half asleep.

"Yup," she said, standing up and grabbing it from the nightstand. She went to hand him it, but at the sight of his shaky hands and pale face, she decided it was probably a smarter idea if she held it for him. "I think I'll hold it, all right?" she voiced.

He gave her a curt nod, and she lowered the bottle enough that he could grab the straw with his lips. When he was done, she placed the water bottle back on his nightstand, and asked, "Anything else?"

"No." He closed his eyes and rested back onto his side, swallowing thickly.

Throughout the rest his treatment, Rachel periodically checked on him, happy that he seemed to be sleeping through it. He didn't even wake as she took the IV out four hours later. Natalie hoped that he would just sleep through the rest of the night.

How wrong she was.

At about ten at night, Keith woke her up, as she had fallen asleep in her chair. "What is it?" she asked, not liking the tone in his voice.

"'M gonna throw up," he said, weakling trying to sit up.

This statement caused her to shoot up, not at all sure what to do. Luckily, he pointed to a tray near his bed, and she grabbed it, helping him up just in time before he began emptying the contents of his stomach into the bowl.

The next few hours, Keith spent it throwing up. Natalie hated seeing him like this, just wishing he didn't have to go through it. He was just starting to feel better after slowly recovering from the pneumonia and now he had to feel sick from the chemo.

Did he ever get a break?

Near three in the morning, he finally fell asleep, and she hoped he wouldn't wake till morning.

A few hours later, however, Natalie was jolted awake. Confused, she rubbed her eyes, wondering what woke her up.

Then she saw him.

Keith was trying to get back into his bed, while holding onto the poll that had his IV's attached to it. He attempted to try and lift himself into the bed, but didn't look like he had enough energy to do so.

"Keith!" exclaimed Natalie. "What do you think you're doing?" Quickly, she jumped up and helped him back into his bed.

As soon as he was resting, he shakily grabbed his oxygen; however, he was shaking so much that she had to take it from him and place it on him herself.

Once the mask was on, she dragged his IV port to the other side of his bed, where it was supposed to be, then sat back down, glancing at him. "Keith," she started, but he cut her off, knowing what she was going to say.

"I had to go to the bathroom, partner. Is that a crime?" he asked, rolling his eyes.

"Yes!" she exclaimed. "You should have woken me up."

"I _tried_," he said, emphasizing the last word. "But you were passed out." He rolled his eyes.

"You could have called a nurse," she stated, feeling a bit bad that he had tried to wake her up, but she hadn't heard him.

He gave her a sheepish look. "Yeah, I know, but they take forever and I didn't really feel like waiting…"

"Just next time throw a pillow at me or something…" she said.

He chuckled lightly as he got comfortable in bed. "All right, if you say so."

"I do," she said, walking over to the makeshift bed and grabbing a pillow. "Sleep now," she said, noticing him yawning.

"Thanks for staying," he murmured, already half asleep.

Natalie gave him a wan smile. "I don't want to be anywhere else."

* * *

A few days after the chemo treatment, Keith was back to his old self, which Natalie was grateful for.

It was Saturday, and Cynthia had begged to come along, so Natalie had finally agreed. They hadn't been there for long, when she decided to go get a coffee.

She wasn't gone more than fifteen minutes, but when she arrived back to the room, Keith and Cynthia were gone.

Setting down her coffee, she tried to remain calm. But it was hard, she had been through so much the past few months, that not knowing where Keith was for a split second caused her to freak out. She knew it was stupid and ridiculous, but she couldn't help it.

Just as she was exiting the room, intent on going for a search, she saw them. However, they weren't alone as Rachel was pushing Keith in a wheelchair. And as they got closer, Natalie could tell that Keith was having some hard time breathing. It wasn't much, but it was definitely noticeable.

"What do you think you were doing?" she asked as soon as Keith was rolled into the room.

Rachel spoke for Keith, who seemed more focused on breathing than anything else. "I found these two playing with this wheelchair down the hall," she stated, as she helped Keith out of the wheelchair and putting the oxygen mask on for him. Once it was on, Keith's breathing evened out and he looked much more relaxed.

"Playing on a wheelchair?" said Natalie, giving Keith such an intense glare, he cowered.

"Yes," replied Rachel, rolling her eyes at Natalie as if to say 'it was only a matter of time.'

"What were they doing with the wheelchair?" she asked, wanting calcification.

"Well, I found Keith running down the hall, pushing Cynthia in the chair. He could barely catch his breath when he was done," she said. "Luckily I found them." She gave Keith an intense glare, before making her way out of the room. Just as she was about to leave however, she stared right into Keith's eye and said, "Behave."

When Rachel was gone, Natalie crossed her arms across her chest, glaring at the two. "What were you thinking!" she hissed. She had tried to remain calm, really, she had.

"We had to go on a candy run," stated Keith, as if this explained everything.

"You didn't have to push Cynthia down the hall, in a wheelchair, Keith!"

"But," he started, "it was just sitting there by the vending machines, taunting us. It was as if it was there for us," he said.

"Keith, said it was fine," broke in Cynthia, looking incredibly upset. "He said he was going to be fine. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to make him get hurt again."

"Cynthia, it's all right," soothed Natalie. "Keith is—or should I say _should be_—old enough to know what he should and shouldn't do." Cynthia looked a bit better after that.

"Partner, I'm fine," said Keith, rolling his eyes.

She huffed, and loudly. "Oh, yeah, you're fine all right," she said with mock sarcasm. "Who was the one that had to be pushed back to his room, and could barely breathe because they were so short of breath!"

"Partner, chill, everything—"

She cut him off. "You _do not_ tell me to chill out! Do you not realize that I you almost died! Do you know how that made me feel? They wanted me to say goodbye to you, Keith! _Goodbye! _So excuse me for caring about your health, unlike you! You will not put your health in danger like that_ ever_ again. Do you understand?" Her voice cracked.

He bit his lip, looking shamefully down at his lap. "I'm sorry, partner," He breathed in deeply. "I'm sorry I put you through that. I'm sorry."

She leaned forward, so she was closer to him, placing her finger underneath his chin so he had to look at her. "I can't lose you. You—you just don't understand how much I _need_ you, how much I _love_ you."

He breathed in deeply, before gently wrapping her in a hug. "Yes, I do," he said, his voice muffled. "because I _need _you and _love_ you just as much."

* * *

They spent the rest of the day watching movies on Keith's PSP and trying to put together a puzzle that Cynthia had brought.

It was getting close to dinner night, when Dr. Normandy randomly stopped by. He took a chair and sat down, but first, glanced over to Cynthia and asked, "How's the room coming along?"

"Good!" she smiled, eyes glinting. "Almost finished! It looks _so_ cool!"

He winked at her. "Better hurry up, that room will be in use again shortly."

At this Cynthia jumped up, and ran over to hug Dr. Normandy. When she pulled away, she said, "Yay," before grabbing her Hannah Montana backpack and taking out a coloring book. "I better get started, then."

"What's going on?" asked Keith, confused by their exchange.

Dr. Normandy looked over to both Keith and Natalie. "Keith, I have some good news."

"What?" he asked, grinning. "Do I get to leave this place?"

Dr. Normandy nodded. "Yup, in two days."

Keith's smile was so large it touched his eyes. "Finally," he said.

"As long as there are no more wheelchair incidents," stated Dr. Normandy, sounding quite amused.

At this statement, Keith gave a worried and nervous look to Natalie, who only gave him a tiny glare. "Nope, never again. Trust me," he sighed.

"Good," replied Dr. Normandy. "I also have some other particularly good news."

"Really?" asked Keith. "Like what?"

"How would you like to be done with chemo in, oh, let's say three months?"

Both Natalie's and Keith's mouths gaped open. Keith found his voice first and said, "Are-are you serious?"

"I wouldn't lie," he smiled. "Looks like you've got a future to plan." He stood up quickly, and didn't say a word as he left both and Natalie still in shock.

Natalie felt tears fill her eyes as she tried to comprehend what she had just been told. She just couldn't believe how almost two months ago, she thought she was going to lose Keith, and now, today, there was hope, almost confirmation, that she was going to have him…forever.

* * *

Natalie parked her car in the driveway, before glancing over to Keith with a huge smile on her face. She bent over and kissed him on the cheek before unbuckling her seatbelt.

She opened the backdoor, grabbing Keith's bag, while he slowly got out of the car. When she opened the front door, they both stood in front of it for a while, before Natalie turned to him and said, "How's it feel?"

"What?" he asked.

"To finally be home."

Silently, he mouthed the word 'home' as he looked around, before glancing over to her. "It feels good," he said.

They finally moved, walking upstairs to place Keith's stuff in his room. But, as soon as Keith opened the door, he stopped, glancing at the sight that befell him.

Ever single bit of his walls were covered with Hannah Montana pictures. "Oh my god," he finally choked out.

"She out did herself, huh?" said Natalie as she gently coaxed Keith to step more inside so she could close the door.

"Yeah, but it's great," he said, grinning. "She must have spent a lot of time on this."

Natalie dropped his bag on the floor before walking over to him and embracing him. "I'm glad you're home. I've missed you," she whispered. She didn't know what caused her to do it, maybe it was the fact that it had been almost more than two months that she hadn't been able to kiss Keith with the vigor and intensity she had been dying to, but she did it. She pushed him up against his door, and greedily captured his bottom lips between hers, sucking gently.

A few seconds Keith breathed, "You're parents—"

"Aren't home," she finished for him, crashing her lips against his.

At her response, Keith let out a deep moan, and while still kissing rather intensely, took off Natalie's sweater and shirt in two swift motions. Once they were off, he bent down and began kissing her collarbone. His lips were kissing her so softly, that it felt as if they were barely touching; it still drove her wild.

He began kissing his way up her neck, while she began taking off his jeans. She lingered on his zipper, causing him to thrust his hips against hers. Both of them moaned.

Once his pants were off, Keith gently guided her to his bed. Her legs hit the side of it, and she laid down, Keith hovering above her. They stared into each other's eyes, for a few seconds, before he began taking off her jeans. Once they were off, she grabbed the bottom of his shirt and sweater and lifted them both off in one swift motion.

As soon as she threw his clothes to the floor, his lips crashed down onto hers. She moaned into his mouth, causing him to thrust his hips against hers.

Oh, how she _wanted_ him.

She wrapped her arms around him, and they kissed heatedly, greedily, and impatiently.

They kissed for a long while, but finally needed air, and their lips regretfully separated. While taking in great gulps of air, Keith stared into her eyes and said, between breaths, "I love you, partner. Times infinity."

"Times infinity," she replied, before his lips, once again, crashed against hers.

* * *

**A/N:** _Did you really think I'd let Keith die? :) I hope you enjoyed it and please review! As for the next update, I only have three weeks left of classes, so I am going to try my hardest to get a chapter out by then, but I do have a huge paper to write. So, just check my profile for status. Thanks again for reading! _


	24. You're All I Need

**A/N:** _Hey, guys! I'm so sorry for the delay (I seem to say that a lot). Anyways, I hope you guys had a great Christmas! Thanks to everyone who reviewed and read the last chapter!_

**WARNING:** _There is underage drinking in this chapter. If this bothers you, do not read the scenes (they're towards the end). If you want to know what happened, you can always PM me and I can fill you in. Also, just because I wrote a scene involving underage drinking does not mean I condone it. My simple words of advice: don't do it!_

_Enjoy!_

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* * *

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**Chapter Twenty-four:** **You're All I Need**

A month passed since Keith had been released from the hospital, and everything was finally settling down. Keith had gotten his cast off and his health was almost back to normal (other than him getting short of breath sometimes). Because of Keith's improved health, Natalie and her family made plans to visit her Grandma Ruth in Michigan for a few weeks, starting tomorrow.

She was really excited to visit her grandmas and her aunt and uncle, and introduce them to Keith. Keith was also really excited to go, as he had never traveled outside of Illinois, Natalie thought that he seemed almost more excited about the trip than Cynthia.

Ever since Keith had been released from the hospital, Natalie had started spending her free time worrying about something else.

Her college applications.

Was it strange that it had been at least a few months and she hadn't heard anything from the colleges? Not one call, one letter? She wasn't sure how long these things were suppose to take, but she was certain that it was much longer than normal. The only conclusion she came to was that she didn't get in. She was surprised at how disappointed she was at this revelation; she hadn't realized until then, how much she really wanted to get into school.

She was jolted out of her worried thoughts, when the front door to Hooked on Books flew open, and Dawn and April walked in.

"Natalie!" cried Dawn, quickly walking over to Natalie, who was sitting on a chair by the coffee area.

"Someone's happy," stated Natalie, smiling at Dawn; she had this certain…glint to her eyes, but Natalie couldn't place it.

Dawn's eyes continued to sparkle, as she nodded and said, "I have my astronomy lab tonight!" She glanced at her watch and with a sigh added, "And in less than four hours." Then, she squealed- _literally_ squealed.

Natalie glanced, with confusion, over to April; she only shrugged. "Um," started Natalie, "why are you so excited to go to class? I thought you _hated_ astronomy."

Dawn sighed dreamily again as she began preparing some coffee. "Yeah, well," she began, once the coffee started brewing. "I have decided that astronomy is actually really…_really_ interesting."

"Interesting?" repeated Natalie. "I thought you said, and I quote 'astronomy is the most boring, pointless subject ever'."

"Yes, that was two weeks ago. Now, I find it extremely interesting," she stated, as she grabbed a bar stool and sat down next to Natalie.

April sat down on the other side of Natalie and said, between grins, "She loves learning only because her new boyfriend's in the class."

A blush bloomed quickly on Dawn's face. Hastily she said, "He. Is. Not. My. Boyfriend." April snickered and Dawn quickly added, "Jeremy…he-he just teaches me all the constellations and stuff. There's nothing else to it. We are _just_ friends." She huffed loudly and crossed her arms against her chest.

"Just friends? I've heard that one before," said April. "Plus, I am your sister—your twin actually, and I think I'd know when you like someone."

Dawn's blush deepened. "Okay, maybe I do like him, but he's not my boyfriend. Okay?"

"If you say so," said April, watching as Dawn got up and started preparing three to-go cups for coffee. While Dawn was busying herself, April turned to Natalie and said, "You won't believe what she asked him last week." But before April could finish, Dawn had ran over and covered April's mouth with her hand.

"Don't say it!" she hissed.

April rolled her eyes, as she pulled Dawn's hand away from her mouth and she quickly said, "She asked him if the moon was star."

"Are you serious?" laughed Natalie.

"That was a secret!" yelled Dawn as she glared at April, before stomping back over to where she was preparing coffee. She poured the coffee into three cups, adding milk and sugar into hers and Natalie's. When she handed Natalie her coffee she said, "Look, I'm not stupid. I know the moon's not a star. But-but, he's just so sexy, and I was trying to think of things to ask him so he wouldn't leave. It's perfectly understandable."

"Definitely," agreed Natalie, nodding.

"You know," said April, as she leaned over the counter to grab her coffee. "I really think you should try and come up with some better ways to get him to ask you out."

"Who says I want him to ask me out." April gave her a look. "Okay, fine. Maybe I do. Any ideas?"

"Well, I was thinking, you could borrow my leather pants and—"

Dawn hastily cut her off. "There is no way I am wearing skin tight leather pants, and a low-cut shirt to class, hoping to get Jeremy to ask me out."

"It worked for me," April shrugged. "I think Zach and I got to second base that—"

Natalie choked on her coffee at this. "Please," said Natalie, "this is my _brother _you're talking about."

"Fine," said April. "I kind of feel like wearing those tonight though…"

"April!" screamed Natalie, covering her ears.

"Sorry," whispered April. She didn't look very sorry.

Natalie must have screamed louder than she thought, because Melanie came walking out of her office. "What's going on out here, girls?"

"Oh, just talking about Dawn's new boyfriend," said April.

Melanie smiled, turning to glance at Dawn. "Ah, talking about your new hunk of burnin' love?"

"Mom," hissed Dawn. "I told you not to call him that!"

Melanie frowned. "But, I like it."

"Too bad," said April. "You know what? I'm leaving." She grabbed her coffee, and started making her way out of the store.

"Have fun," said Natalie.

"Yeah, have fun, sis," said April, and then said. "Wait!"

"What?" said Dawn, turning around and facing her twin.

"Just in case, my leather pants are in my—"

"Funny," said Dawn sarcastically. "Now, _goodbye_." And with that, she slammed the door behind her.

* * *

That night, Natalie got home from work around six. Once, she parked her car in the driveway, she made her way anxiously to the mailbox. She had been doing this everyday for the past few weeks, and always returned empty handed, which is why she almost missed a letter addressed to her from Carbondale—the college that she was most interested in. With shaky hands she went to open it, but then stopped.

There was no way she could read the letter. What if she didn't get in? She was certain she hadn't since it had taken them almost three months to reply. She grabbed the letter tightly in her hand and quickly walked inside her house. Once inside, she quickly dropped the rest of the mail on the kitchen table before making her way to Keith's room. She knew that he had just gotten a chemo treatment today, and was sleeping. But she couldn't wait.

She had to know, and now.

"Keith!" she called, taking two steps at a time. "_Keith!_" Just as she stepped on the upstairs landing, the door to Keith's room flung open. A worried, and half asleep Keith, came practically running out.

"What's wrong?" he asked, frantic, his eyes trailing over her as if he was checking for injuries. "Are you okay? Partner?"

Not saying a word, she handed Keith the letter. He took it from her, confused. As soon as he glanced at it, he looked up to her and said, "This is why you were screaming? You woke me up because of this?" He rolled his eyes at Natalie's tiny nod. "I thought you were hurt or something!" Without saying another word, he walked back into his room, got back into his bed, pulling the covers over him.

Natalie let out a tiny angry squeal as she walked over to Keith, pulling the covers off of him. "This is serious!" she said.

Keith's eyes stayed closed, and Natalie was just about to take one of his pillows and hit him with it when he opened his eyes and said, "I don't know why you're so worried. You got into Duke, Natalie. You definitely got accepted to Carbondale."

"How do you know?" she snapped. "Do you have super powers that let you know what letters say without reading them?"

He grinned as he sat up, leaning against his headboard. "Exactly—the letter says, 'Congratulations, Natalie Anderson, you have been accepted to—"

"Shut up," she hissed. This time, she did take a pillow and hit him with it. Why wasn't he taking this seriously? "Open it. _Please_," she begged. She brought her lower lip out in a pout, and she knew that Keith wouldn't be able to resist.

He leaned over his bed, and grabbed the letter which he had carelessly dropped on the floor. Painstakingly slow, he began opening it. She almost grabbed the letter from him, since he was taking so long. But she stopped herself, knowing full well that she would just hand it back to him.

Finally, he pulled the letter out of the envelope, and she watched his eyes begin trailing over what she hoped was good news. However, what he did next shocked her. Instead of telling her what the letter said, he tossed the letter back onto the floor, and promptly got out of his bed.

Without saying anything, he quickly changed out of his pajamas and into some pants and a t-shirt, before making his way out of his room. "Where're you going?" asked Natalie, frowning. Why was he leaving? This couldn't be good.

"Out," he said simply. He turned around, looking at her, his face expressionless.

"Why?" she asked, frowning.

"To celebrate," he finally added, a grin began gracing his face.

"Celebrate? For what?"

He rolled his eyes, as if the answer was obvious. "For you getting into college, duh."

"I got in?" she squealed, jumping up the bed and flinging herself onto him. She kissed him on the cheek and lips—everywhere she could. Pulling away after a few seconds, she leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "Jerk."

He chuckled, giving her a tight squeeze. "So, you ready?" he asked. She nodded, as he grabbed her hand and gently pulled her out of his room.

He led her straight to his truck. When they got in, she asked where they were going, but he just said that they were going somewhere to celebrate. So, when he pulled up to Olive Garden, one of their favorite restaurants, she figured he was taking her out to eat. However, once they were seated and their waiter came over, Keith handed the waiter, Rob, their menus and said, "We don't need these."

"No menus?" asked Natalie. What were they doing at a restaurant if they didn't need menus?

"We'll have everything on your dessert menu," replied Keith.

"Everything?" voiced the waiter.

"Everything," Keith replied, nodding. "One of everything."

"All right," said Rob. "Everything."

It didn't take long for Rob to start bringing out the desserts. He brought out tiramisu, chocolate mousse cake, raspberry cheesecake, gelato and more. Finally, after six desserts were placed on the table, they were ready to dig in.

"This is ridiculous," said Natalie as she grabbed a fork and took a bite of her favorite dessert, a warm chocolate cake with strawberries and a vanilla cream sauce. While she began enjoying the chocolate cake, Keith went for, not surprisingly, the gelato. He took a huge bite, and then another one. "You're going to get a brain freeze," she stated. "Maybe you should slow down."

He didn't heed her warning and Natalie wasn't surprised that after a few minutes, he placed his head in his hands and mumbled, "Brain freeze." It went away after a few seconds. After it was over, Natalie saw him take smaller bites of his ice cream.

They spent their time eating their desserts and talking, but after a while, they couldn't eat anymore. They got to-go boxes for the rest of the desserts, deciding Zach and Cynthia would eat the rest. While they were waiting for the boxes and for their bill, Natalie moved to the other side of the booth to sit next to Keith. She leaned up close to him. "Thanks for this," she smiled.

He turned to look at her. "Congratulations," he whispered, his eyes trailing down to her lips, and before she could react his lips were on hers. His lips were sweet, tasting of chocolate and a hint of strawberries.

They broke apart, when Rob dropped off their bill and to-go boxes. "Thanks, sir," said Keith.

Keith went to grab a piece of the cake to put in the to-go box, but she placed her hand on top of his to stop him. At this, he turned to look her, and before he could say anything, she lowered her head and in a whisper said, "I love you."

A huge grin graced his face, and she grinned back. Just as long as Keith was here, with her, she had everything she wanted and needed.

* * *

They next day, they didn't get on the road until close to one. It only took about five hours to get to Detroit, and everyone wanted to allow Keith to sleep in. However, finally, when it turned twelve, Natalie had to wake him up and tell him to start getting ready.

It took her another fifteen minutes until he actually got out of bed.

Luckily, it didn't take him too long to get ready, and they were on the road within a half hour. As soon as they pulled out of the driveway, Keith took out his PSP and he didn't put it down.

Actually, the only time he did stop playing was when they stopped at rest stops, and when they stopped at McDonalds to grab a quick lunch. Other than that, his eyes were glued to the game. At times, she wanted to throw the thing out the window so he would talk to her.

But she held herself back, and instead, tried to busy herself with reading a book.

The ride went by surprisingly fast, and soon they pulled into the parking lot of an Italian restaurant. It was tradition to always meet their family at a restaurant the first night that Natalie and her family arrived.

"Grandma!" screamed Cynthia, as soon as they walked into the restaurant and saw their grandma, aunt, uncle, and Cousin Matt, with his girlfriend Crystal.

Natalie waited for Zach to greet everyone, before she walked over to her grandma. "Hey, gram," she said, giving her a tight hug. "I've missed you." When she pulled away from the hug, she noticed that her grandma was staring at Keith who was shyly standing behind her.

"Hi," he said, his voice strangely timid. He went to hold out his hand to shake hers as he said, "I'm—"

Ruth stopped him. "Of course I know who you are, Keith," she said, and instead of shaking his hand, she stood up and wrapped him into a hug. Keith seemed momentarily shocked at this, causing him to tense, but he relaxed into the hug quickly. When they pulled apart, Ruth got a good look at him and said, "Now, aren't you good looking. I can see why Natalie—"

Natalie interrupted her, at Keith's steadily deepening blush. "You're embarrassing him, gram," she said.

Ruth just said, "Ah, well, Keith, you better get use to it." This caused him to blush if possible, deeper. "Well, sit down everyone."

Once they were all seated, Natalie introduced Keith to her aunt, uncle, and cousin. Natalie then turned to Keith and whispered, "You don't have to be shy, you know." She couldn't understand why he was timid meeting her family, but so outgoing around other people.

"I know," he whispered back. "But I can't help it." He lowered his gaze for a second, but then brought it back to meet hers. "I just—I want to make a good impression."

"You know, Keith, just be yourself."

A huge grin crossed his face. "You want me to be my goofy, annoying, irritating self?"

"I wouldn't want anything else."

* * *

Keith was quiet for a while, until her aunt started asking him questions. He seemed a bit nervous at this, but Natalie didn't think anyone else noticed; she figured he'd relax soon enough.

"So, Keith, are you planning on going to college?" asked Aunt Jackie.

He bit his bottom lip. "Um, yeah, I don't know…" He looked a bit embarrassed.

"That's all right," replied Aunt Jackie. She stopped to take a sip of her wine, before saying, "Do you know what you want to do?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I just really want to work with trucks."

"Trucks?" spoke up Natalie's Uncle Jeff.

Keith took a sip of soda before answering, "Yeah, trucks. I-I have a friend, Andy, who owns a shop. I worked there for a while…until, you know… I think he might let me come back and work with him."

Uncle Jeff looked extremely interested. "So, you have your own truck you work on?"

At this, Cynthia spoke up. "Yeah! It's yellow and called Honeybun!"

Everyone laughed and Keith said, "Yeah, my dad helped me put it together; it's kind of made of just all spare parts and stuff."

Jeff cleared his throat. "I don't know if you'd be interested, but my truck—" He gestured outside. "Is making this awful noise, maybe you—"

"I'd love to," said Keith, excitement filling his voice.

"Really?"

Keith nodded, and so fast, Natalie thought he was going to make himself dizzy. "Yeah, definitely."

"How about I come over tomorrow. Do you think you could look at it then?"

Keith glanced over to Caroline, who said, "We don't have much planned for tomorrow, Keith."

He turned to Jeff. "Tomorrow's great."

Dinner arrived shortly after, and everyone was too busy eating their food to have much time for conversation. After dinner, everyone ordered coffee and dessert, and they started talking about what plans they were going to do for the two weeks while Natalie and her family would be visiting.

It was getting near ten at night, and Natalie was commenting on what she would like to do during the trip, when she felt Keith's head fall against her shoulder. Before she turned to him, he had already lifted his head up. She could tell she was trying hard to keep his eyes open. "Tired?" she asked.

"Yeah," he mumbled, rubbing his eyes as if it would help him stay awake. He turned to her. "'M sorry, I'm trying to stay awake…" He yawned.

"It's okay," she answered, catching her mom's gaze. Caroline glanced over to Keith whose head had fallen against Natalie's shoulder again, but this time he didn't move or open his eyes.

Caroline nodded at Natalie, hinting that she knew what Natalie's look meant and said, "Looks like we should get home," indicating towards Keith.

Everyone agreed, saying that they were just as tired. It took Natalie a while to get Keith to walk to the car. When they got into the van, Keith immediately leaned his head up against the window and was asleep within seconds. The ride home was uneventful, and Natalie had to fight to keep her eyes open as well.

However, upon arrival, Natalie encountered a problem.

She couldn't get Keith to wake up.

"Keith," called Natalie. "C'mon, wake up. We're here." She gently shook him, but he didn't budge.

"The poor dear," stated Ruth, walking up behind Natalie. "He must be exhausted."

"Yeah," said Natalie, as she continued to shake him. "He is. The problem is, getting him up is sometimes impossible."

Luckily, a few minutes later, after Natalie shook Keith for the umpteenth time, he opened his eyes. Blurrily he sat, up. "Sorry," he stated, glancing at Natalie and Ruth. "I didn't mean…"

"It's okay," said Natalie. "Let's get you to bed." Slowly, a still half-asleep Keith followed Natalie into the house. Zach had been nice enough to grab both of their luggage down to the basement where the three of them would be sleeping. "Night, gram," said Natalie, as she and Keith made their way downstairs.

"Night you guys, sleep well," called Ruth.

Natalie opened the door to her room, and Keith followed behind her. She knew they shouldn't sleep in the same room, and Keith should bunk in the room next to hers with Zach, she didn't care. She wanted to be with Keith.

Keith closed the bedroom door, and practically fell onto the bed. "Don't you want to change your pajamas?" asked Natalie. She noticed that Zach had dropped off Keith's luggage with hers.

"No," mumbled Keith against his pillow, "too much work."

Natalie thought about trying to put them on for him, but when she glanced at him, she figured it'd be pretty much impossible. Instead, she found her pajamas and put them on. When she was done, she sat on the edge of the bed near Keith and took off his shoes, and pants, hoping he'd be at least a little more comfortable than he was.

She was able to get Keith underneath the covers with her. She covered them both and snuggled up to Keith, who was already fast asleep. Kissing him on the cheek, she said, "Night, Keith. Love you."

* * *

The next morning, Natalie and Keith didn't wake up till eleven. They took their time that morning getting ready and eating breakfast. Just as it neared one o'clock, Uncle Jeff pulled up on the street with his truck.

Keith got up from his position on the couch, quickly walking outside to meet Jeff. Looking out the window, Natalie watched Keith and Jeff talk. After a few minutes, Keith disappeared underneath the truck and looked like he might be there for a while.

Uncle Jeff came inside, as there was nothing he could do to help Keith. When he spotted Natalie he said, "Keith sure knows what he's doing."

"Yeah," she smiled, proud. "He sure does."

The next hour Natalie spent talking to her grandma and preparing lunch. It wasn't until she had finished making lunch, and was on her way outside to tell Keith he should take a break and eat something, when she saw them.

Two girls, talking to Keith.

At this sight, Natalie began walking faster. She didn't like how close the girls were standing next to him. She felt a surge of jealousy course through her. "Hey, partner," said Keith, once he caught sight of her. He then proceeded to take a sip of what looked like lemonade.

"Hi," she said, eyeing the two girls. Why were they looking at Keith like that? He was sweaty, and he had taken off his shirt, leaving him only in his jeans which hung low on his hips. Yeah—she could definitely see why they were ogling him.

He looked sexy. Really sexy.

"This is Stephanie and Morgan; they brought me over some lemonade," Keith said, pointing to the two girls.

"Yeah," started Stephanie, who was a tall slender brunette. "He was just sweaty and—"At Natalie's look she quickly added, with wide eyes, "I mean, we thought he could use a drink."

Natalie glared, and she hoped the girls noticed, before turning to Keith. "I made you some lunch." She wrapped her arms around him. She wanted these girls to know that he was _hers_.

"Great," he said, wrapping his free arm around her. "I'm starving." He glanced back over to Stephanie and Morgan. "Well, thanks for the drink, girls." He handed them back his empty glass.

"See ya later," said Morgan, but it came out as a question more than a fact.

He nodded. "Sure, see ya 'round." He gave them a lopsided grin, and both gave him a dreamy smile before slowly walking away.

Once Keith was inside, Natalie asked, turning to him, "Why were you talking to them?"

Keith looked taken aback. "Was I not supposed to? They just brought me over some lemonade, 'cause they thought I might be thirsty."

"Keith! They only brought you over lemonade because they thought you looked hot!"

"What?" he laughed, shaking his head as if he couldn't believe her.

"They totally want you!" she huffed.

"Partner," he said, rolling his eyes, "they don't want me. Why would they want me?"

Natalie wanted to say _because you're the best, sweetest, most amazing guy ever._ Instead she said, "You're oblivious," before stomping away.

"Partner," Keith called, quickly running to catch up to her. "Don't be mad. I didn't know…" He caught up to her and pulled her into a hug; she rested her head against his bare chest. "You don't need to be worried. I only want _you_." He kissed the top of her head.

Natalie wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him tight; she knew she was probably hugging him too hard, but she didn't care. He didn't complain. Now, she knew exactly how Keith had felt when Derek had been talking to her. And it sucked. Really, really sucked.

* * *

The next week passed by quickly, they had gone to the lake, the amusement park, and had even visited family in Muskegon. It was Saturday night, and Natalie's parents had decided to drive up to Frankenmuth with their aunt and uncle. Natalie, Keith, Zach both didn't want to go, so they stayed at home. Natalie didn't really feel like shopping for hours on end (which was what happened when her mom was with her sister). She would much rather stay at home with her grandma, who had decided to stay back as well.

It was after dinner, and Natalie was slowly flipping through channels, talking to Crystal. They had been left upstairs, while Zach, Keith, and Matt had quickly retreated downstairs, to try and beat another level on their new video game.

"You know," started Crystal, as she flipped through a magazine. "I bet our boyfriends would be a lot more productive if video games had never been invented."

"Yes, definitely," said Natalie. "Then again, if they hadn't been invented, we wouldn't be able to just buy them a video game when we get sick of them."

Crystal glanced over to Natalie. "You're absolutely right. So, video games can be good and bad."

"Yeah," mused Natalie. They were quiet for a while, before they heard loud voices from downstairs, and Natalie said, "Although, it seems like they're having more fun than us." She turned off the television, sighing in defeat. There was nothing on.

"I know," said Crystal, tossing the magazine onto the coffee table. "Maybe we should see what they're doing."

Natalie agreed, and just as they got up, the doorbell rang. "I bet I know who it is," groaned Natalie, "_Them_." Ever since Stephanie and Morgan had caught site of Keith, they had been stopping by everyday to hang out. It was starting to drive Natalie insane.

"They act like they live here," whispered Crystal as they made their way to the front door.

Just before Natalie opened it she said, "I know."

She had been right; it was Stephanie and Morgan. As soon as the door was opened, Stephanie gently pushed passed Natalie and Crystal to walk inside. Morgan followed behind her and said, "Natalie, Crystal! We have a great idea."

With Stephanie and Morgan's backs turned, Natalie and Crystal gave each other worried looks. "What's this _great _idea?" said Natalie, trying to hide back her sarcasm. It didn't work, but luckily neither of them seemed to notice.

'Truth or Dare!" exclaimed Morgan, looking a bit too excited.

"Truth or Dare?" repeated Crystal.

Stephanie and Morgan nodded. "It's great, isn't it?" said Stephanie. "We just thought of it like five minutes ago."

"Yeah, great," said Natalie in a monotone voice.

"So, where's Keith?" asked Morgan, but at Natalie's look quickly added, "And everyone else?"

"Downstairs," replied Natalie. She began walking through the living room, and into the kitchen, intent on finding Keith and seeing what they were up to. She hoped they didn't want to play Truth or Dare. Not with Stephanie and Morgan, who knew what crazy things they would _ask_ Keith, or have Keith _do_.

All three girls followed her. When she opened the basement door she heard laughing. "What're they doing?" asked Stephanie.

Natalie shrugged. "No idea," she replied, before making her way downstairs.

When she stepped on the landing, looking around at all of the bottles and cups, she knew exactly what they were doing. "Are you drinking?" she exclaimed.

Keith, Zach, and Matt all took their attention off of the video game they were playing, and glanced over to her. Keith spoke up first. "Partner," he said, quickly getting off the couch and walking over to her. Before Natalie had time to say anything, he crashed his lips against hers, pulling her close to him.

Natalie heard Zach and Matt start cracking up.

Natalie gently pushed Keith off of her. "You're drunk," she said, looking at him. He just grinned. She turned to look over to Zach and Matt. "He's drunk—"

"We're all drunk, Natalie," supplied Matt, glancing at Zach and cracking up. They stopped when Natalie cleared her throat and glared.

"You guys _got_ Keith drunk!"

"Actually, he got himself drunk…he was the one that took the shots, he was the one that—"

"Is he even allowed to drink?" she asked, then turned to Keith and asked, "Are you even _allowed_ to drink?"

Zach answered. "Well, technically, he's not since allowed to drink since he's not twenty-one yet. Actually, none of us are so…"

"I'm not talking about technically!" she screamed. "What if this makes him sick or something?"

"Considering how much he's drank…he'll probably feel like shit tomorrow. Won't you, Keith?" asked Matt. "Nasty hangover, he'll have," he muttered under his breath, but loud enough for everyone to hear.

Keith grinned, as if he was almost happy about this declaration. At Keith's grin, Natalie narrowed her eyes at him and said, in a low, but angry voice, "Keith, are you even allowed to be drinking alcohol with your medication?" She didn't think she could handle Keith being in the hospital again, especially when it was for something they—_she_—could have prevented.

Keith looked thoughtful for a few seconds. "I dunno, but it doesn't matter now!"

At this, Matt walked over and handed Keith another drink, before slapping him on the back. "This is one cool dude. He plays video games great when sober _and_ when intoxicated," he said, before walking back over to the make-shift bar they had, telling Natalie he was going to make her and Crystal a drink.

Natalie didn't stop him.

Stephanie walked over to Keith and asked, "So, what're you drinking?" Natalie's eyes narrowed at the close proximity.

"Rum and Coke," he answered; he took a sip.

"Sounds good."

"It is," Keith grinned. Matt came walking back a few moments later, handing both Crystal and Natalie a red cup filled with Coke and rum.

Matt turned to Morgan and Stephanie. "You girls want anything?"

"Sure," they smiled. "We were thinking of playing Truth or Dare, what do you think?" asked Stephanie. She had Morgan followed Matt over to the bar.

"I think it's a great idea," said Matt. Zach and Keith agreed.

At their sounds of agreements, Natalie and Crystal glanced at each other, before glancing down at their drinks. At the same time, they lifted their cup up and took three huge sips.

This was going to be an interesting night.

* * *

They next few hours, they spent drinking and playing Truth or Dare. Natalie was getting a little bit sick of the game, not because it was boring, but because Stephanie and April wouldn't stop asking Keith personal questions, or daring him to do things like a strip tease or a body shot.

Luckily, they had decided to do only one more round. Stephanie was next, then Crystal would go and then they would be done. As expected Stephanie turned to Keith and said, "Truth or dare."

He took a few sips of his drink before saying, "Truth."

Stephanie grinned, and was quiet for a few moments, thinking of a question before saying, "What do you like sexually?"

"Um, Natalie," said Keith, his voice was full of annoyance, which Natalie was glad of. At least she wasn't the only one who was getting sick of Stephanie's dares and questions.

"You can't ask Natalie to answer the question for you," Stephanie sneered, not understanding the context of Keith's answer.

Keith's eyebrows shot up devilishly as he smirked, "I'm not asking Natalie to answer the question, I'm saying I like _Natalie_ sexually. I don't give a rat's ass what I do as long as it's with her."

Stephanie's mouth dropped and a fierce blush overtook her face while Zach let out a deep groan. Keith didn't care and he said, "Crystal, your turn."

Crystal smiled and said, "All right, Zach, I dare you to act out a scene from _Harry Potter_." Smiled, and then added, "With Keith."

"All right," said Zach, standing up, stumbling slightly. "Which scene?"

Crystal was thoughtful for a second then said, "The dueling club scene from the second movie."

Zach nodded. "All right, Keith, come with me."

Slowly, Keith sat up. "I don't think I've seen this movie…"

"That's all right, man," he said, helping Keith stand up. He wobbled slightly, and Natalie thought he was going to fall over, but luckily he kept his balance. "I've seen it."

"Where are you guys going?" asked Natalie. "You need to do the scene in front of us."

"We are going to practice, be right back," said Zach, before he and Keith disappeared into a room.

"This is going to be hilarious," said Natalie, noticing her drink was empty and grabbed Keith's instead. He had enough to drink already.

"I know," said Crystal, leaning her head on Matt's lap. Ten minutes passed, then fifteen.

"I wonder what's taking them so long?" she asked.

"You think they passed out?" asked Morgan.

"Na," said Matt, "They're just—"

But, before Matt could finish his sentence, the door Zach and Keith were behind slammed open, and both boys came walking out. At the sight of them, Natalie starting cracking up.

They had taken the sheets off of the bed, and put them on like robes, and were both holding pencils used as wands. Keith also had a pair of glasses on.

"Are you ready?" asked Zach, in a British voice. Everyone nodded, sitting back, ready to enjoy the scene. "All right. I will be playing Draco, and Keith, here, Harry. We have even drawn a lightning bolt scar on his forehead, for your viewing pleasure."

Squinting, Natalie then realized that there was indeed a line on Keith's forehead— but it didn't look much like a lightning bolt, even so, she didn't bother to comment.

Keith and Zach whispered something to each other, and then motioned for Matt to come over. Crystal took her head off his lap, and he walked over to Keith and Zach. They talked for a few seconds, before they broke apart. Matt turned to them and said, "The scene begins."

Keith and Zach began walking towards each other. Once they were a few inches away, Matt said, "Wands at the ready." At this, both Keith and Zach brought their fake pencils to their face. Zach said, in a serious voice, "Scared, Potter?"

Keith started cracking up, and Zach whispered, "Keith! No laughing!"

"Sorry, sorry," he muttered between laughs. He took a deep breath and choked out, "Okay, I'm ready."

Zach lifted his wand back up to his face and said, "Scared, Potter?"

Keith bit his bottom lip hard, and Natalie knew he was trying his hardest not to laugh. He finally said, "You wish."

They both lowered their wands and turned around, walking away from each other. As they reached opposing ends of the room, they whipped around so their wands were pointed at each other. Matt said, "On the count of three cast your charms to disarm your opponent, only disarm, we don't want any accidents…um…here, yeah. One! Two-"

Suddenly, Zach said, "Enverte Statum."

Dramatically, Keith fell over; Natalie could see his shoulder shaking from laughing so hard. "Keith," whispered Zach, after a few seconds, "finish your part!" But Keith couldn't, instead, he just kept laughing.

Zach shook his head, went over to Keith, grabbed him by the arm, and bowed in front of everyone. Keith tried to do the same, but while bowing, lost his balance. "He has had way too much to drink," said Zach. "Keith, I think you need some fresh air." Keith just laughed. Zach looked up to his sister. "Natalie, I think you should take him outside."

"All right," smiled Natalie. She finished off Keith's drink, before sitting up and grabbing Keith by the arm, leading him outside.

Once, they were outside, Keith turned to Natalie and said, "Let's go for a walk."

"A walk?"

He nodded. "Yes, a walk! It'll be fun!" He promptly grabbed Natalie's hand and headed in the direction of the woods.

"In the woods?" asked Natalie.

Keith nodded, as he continued to walk, and said, "Come on, partner."

* * *

For the first half hour or so, they didn't talk much, only proceeding to walk through the woods. Natalie knew that this was a bad idea. It was dark out, past midnight, and they had no flash light, and were only wearing flip-flops. Natalie was just glad that the moon was full, as it was their only means of light.

Even though she knew it was a bad idea, she didn't stop walking, since it was kind of fun, and her and Keith were talking, and she didn't want it to stop.

Keith had just tripped on a rock, and she had caught him in time, when he suddenly said, "Did you know, partner, that I want to have ten kids?"

She halted at this, turning to look at him. "Ten kids!" she exclaimed, "You're crazy!" She threw her hands up in the air, noticing the dizzy, yet enjoyable sensation the motion brought on.

"Yup," he grinned. "Ten kids. Won't that be fun?" They started walking again.

"Well, if you want to have ten kids, it won't be with me," she stated. This time, she tripped, but Keith was fast enough and steadied her. It was only a matter of time before she fell flat on her face.

"Fine," he said. "How about nine? Nine is a good number. It's my favorite number after all."

"No."

"Seven?" he asked. "We could name them by the days of the week! Wouldn't that be cool?"

"Absolutely not."

He glared."You're no fun. Five?"

"No."

"Eight?"

"_Keith!"_

"Fine, fine. Geez. How about four?" he said. "Four's a good number. It's even," he stated, as if this would make her agree.

"Four, maybe, four," she relented. "Maybe," she quickly added. Secretly, she loved the fact that Keith was talking about having kids with her. Yeah, she was way too young to be thinking about marriage, but still, it was nice that he thought that they were going to be together…forever. They walked a few more feet before she finally said, softly, "Do you really want ten kids?"

He chuckled before saying, "No way, I just wanted to see how you'd react." She hit him lightly on the shoulder, but it caused him to stumble and almost fall over. "Oops," he said.

They fell back into silence after that, and Natalie wasn't sure how much further they walked until they got into a rather large clearing. It was then, as she turned around, wondering which way to go that she knew.

"We're lost," she said. Honestly, even though she knew they were lost, it really didn't worry her. She was sure they'd find their way back; they would just turn around and go back they way they came, right?

Wrong.

She was certain, after they had been walking, what she had thought was the way they came, for at least an hour and a half, that they were never going to find their way back. What if they had to sleep in the woods? She decided to stop walking, and turn around and ask Keith what she should do, when she did it.

She finally fell.

She landed hard on the ground, twisting her ankle a bit. "Ow," she muttered sitting up, but before she had time to see if she could even move her ankle, Keith was beside her.

"Partner, are you okay? Partner? Are you okay? What happened? Are you okay? Babe?"

"Babe?" Now, that was a new name.

He glared. "Hey, I was—_am_—worried. Are you okay?"

"Keith," said started, laughing at how concerned he was. "I'm fine. I just twisted my ankle a bit." She finally attempted to move it and only a slight twinge of pain spread through her ankle. It wasn't that bad of a twist; she had had worse playing tennis and had been fine. "It's not bad at all, I'm sure I can still walk on it."

Keith didn't look so sure. Instead, he quickly and gently moved her pant leg up a little to look at her ankle. And, suddenly, he was taking off his shirt, and wrapping it tightly around her ankle. "Keith, what the _hell _are you doing?"

He didn't say anything, only finished tying his shirt around her ankle. Natalie rolled her eyes trying not to laugh at how concerned he was. She felt like she was in some sort of cheesy romantic comedy.

Actually, come to think of it—it was kind of sweet.

"How's it feel?" he asked, once he was done. He lifted his gaze away from her ankle to her face. He looked so serious and so concerned, she felt bad for trying not to laugh. She wrapped her arms around him, and whispered into his ear, "You're my hero."

At this, he grinned at her. "I'm your hero," he reiterated. Suddenly, the expression on his face changed, and he suddenly said, seriously, "Natalie."

"Yes?" He swallowed thickly, and it seemed to her that he was about to ask her something that he had been wanting to ask her for a long time. "Keith?"

"You don't—you—" He stopped as if he was trying to figure out the best way to word what he wanted to say. "You don't resent me, do you?"

"Resent you?" she stated, shocked. How much had he drunk to think that? She was about to ask him this, but then noticed the expression still gracing his face. He was serious. Dead serious.

"Keith," she started, "why would I ever resent you?" Really, she didn't know why he thought that.

He lowered his gaze to the ground. "Because—because I mean, you've had to hold back your life for me, and you've done so much for me."

"Keith, I would never resent you. I don't know why you even thought that. I don't want to know how long you've been thinking that. But, I never have resented you—never. Never will. I have made my own choices, because they were what I wanted to do. I have done everything for you, because I'm in love with you."

"Really?" he asked.

"Really," she said, and then added, "Keith, school is just school. It's only been one year of my life. I'm still going to go to college, still going to get a degree. And plus, I'm starting in a few weeks. You want to know something?"

"What?" he asked.

"When you were—when I thought you were going to die, the only thing I thought of was how glad I was that I didn't go to school, and had spent as much time with you as I could. I've never regretted my decisions, and never will. Plus, I get to go to the college I want to go to and not the one my dad wants me to go to." He was staring at her, almost as if he was drinking in all of the words she had to say. "Keith, you're all I need. As long as I have you, my life is complete. You need to know that."

He grinned at her and said, "Huh."

"What?" she asked, scrunching her nose in confusion.

"Well, I guess that works, Natalie, 'cause you're all I need as well."

* * *

"Where they hell have you guys been?" screamed Zach, just as Natalie and Keith walked through the clearing and saw the sight of Natalie's the cabin. It had taken Natalie and Keith another hour to find their way home. Natalie had to walk slower, since she was limping a bit on her ankle.

Zach ran up to them, and said, frantically, "I've been looking everywhere for you guys! Where have you been? In the woods? For three hours?" he asked, then he turned to look at Keith and said, "And what the hell are you doing with your shirt off? What the hell were you guys doing back there? I am too drunk to be running around looking for you guys! What were you thinking?"

"You told me to get some fresh air," said Keith, stumbling a little.

Zach narrowed his eyes. "So! I didn't tell you guys to go walk in the woods!"

"We wanted to take a walk," said Keith simply. He stumbled again. "And the woods looked fun."

"A walk, in the woods, when you're drunk? Wow, now that's smart." He rolled his eyes at them. A thought then occurred to him and he said, "And for three hours?"

"Well, we go lost," said Keith quickly. "Really lost. But, we're fine."

Zach nodded, but then glanced Keith up and down and said, "And the shirt?" He didn't look like he believed them.

"Natalie hurt her ankle. I was just trying to help," defended Keith.

Natalie broke up, what she thought might escalate into a fight, saying, "We're fine, Zach."

"You have no idea what kind of animals are in there," he said, still fuming. "There could have been a bear or something."

"A bear?" laughed Natalie, "In those woods?" She pointed behind her.

He glared at her. "Well, whatever, something could have eaten you guys."

"We're fine, Zach," said Natalie, as she grabbed Keith's hand and led him into the house. Natalie didn't bother to stop anywhere, and led Keith all the way down and into their room.

As soon as they closed the door, Keith said, "I need to pee," before quickly making his way into the bathroom.

When he came out a few minutes later, he made his way over to Natalie, who was still sitting on the bed. As soon as he was close enough, he bent down and kissed her. Natalie moaned against his lips, as she lowered herself so she was lying on her back.

They kissed heatedly, and Natalie fumbled with the belt on his jeans. "Off," she breathed, getting irritated. His jeans needed to come off now. Keith used his free hand to take off his belt, and then Natalie proceeded to unbutton his jeans and slide them off his hips.

He did the same to her. She lifted her legs, and pushed her jeans, which were at her ankles, off and onto the floor. While Keith took off her shirt, she moved herself more comfortably on the bed. Once her shirt was off, she began kissing Keith's collarbone.

When she kissed a partially sensitive spot, Keith let out a low desperate moan before positioning himself on top of her.

When he was on top of her, Natalie gently trailed her finger on the top of Keith's boxers teasing him. She felt him grind his hips against hers. "Partner," he breathed. He captured her lips and sucked her bottom lips gently.

A few seconds later, she took both of her hands, sliding Keith's boxers off. "Keith," she moaned. "_Please_."

* * *

The next morning, when Natalie woke, the first thing she realized was that she had a really bad headache, and felt like she was going to throw up. Groaning, she went to turn around to see how Keith felt, when she realized he wasn't in bed.

He was missing.

Frowning, she glanced at the clock on the nightstand, realizing that it was only eight in the morning. Why the hell was he up?

Grabbing her pajamas off the floor, that she hadn't managed to put on last night, she quickly got dressed. When she exited the room, she noticed that Zach, Crystal, and Matt were still passed out, and by the looks of them, they were going to be for a pretty long time.

As she ascended the stairs, she heard her grandma's voice, and for a second, she wondered who she was talking to, but then she heard Keith's voice—even if it was a bit muffled.

"Natalie," said her grandma, turning around, and smiling at her as she entered the kitchen. She didn't miss the knowing look in her eye. "How're you feeling, dear?"

"Oh,um," she started.

"Like crap?" suggested her grandma after a few silent seconds.

"Yeah, yeah, like crap," she answered as she sat down next to Keith, who had his head resting on the table.

"Hey, partner," mumbled Keith, not bothering to move his head to look at her.

"Morning," she said, bending down and kissing him on the top of his head. He definitely looked like he felt worse that she did. "Why're you up so early?" she asked.

He moaned and said, "Feel like crap." It seemed to Natalie, that he was just about to fall asleep. A few moments later, in a muffled voice, he said, "Ruth helped me, though."

Natalie glanced at Keith for a second, and turned to her grandma, but before she could ask, Ruth spoke, "Yes, I know. I'm not stupid."

"How—"

Ruth shrugged. "First off, I've raised three kids. I just _know _these things."

"Are you going to tell my parents?" Was the first thing, and only thing, Natalie could think to ask.

Ruth laughed. "Of course not. Let's just say it'll be between all of us. You're just lucky they aren't coming back until tomorrow."

After this, Keith finally lifted his head up, moaning, and said, "Ugh, I feel like I'm gonna throw up." Natalie secretly thought, _Yeah, so do I_.

"Yes, well, welcome to the hangover." Keith groaned. Ruth, then added, "I think you should try to get some sleep, there, Keith."

He nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I probably should." He looked up to her. "Can you tell me one more story, though? Please?"

"Story? About what?" asked Natalie.

"I suppose," stated Ruth, glancing over at Natalie and winking. Answering her question she said, "Oh, just about you, dear."

This could not be good.

"No, you're not," said Natalie. "You can't tell him stores about me! Some of them, most of them, are embarrassing." She had too bad of a headache to be arguing with anyone, especially about this.

"Yeah," nodded Keith, "some of them _were_ embarrassing."

"Grandma!"

Keith turned to Natalie. "Hey, my dad has told you some stories about me. So, it's only fair."

"None of them were embarrassing!"

"Yes they were!" Keith fought back.

"Really? Name one!"

"Kids," Ruth said.

Keith stared at Natalie for a few more seconds, before his lower lip came out in a pout. "Please, just one more. It won't be embarrassing. Promise. I like hearing stories about you when you were younger. _Please_."

Natalie knew he knew that she couldn't deny him with that look, so finally, she leaned up against Keith and said, "Fine."

Ruth began with a story right away. "So, one time, when I used to live in Illinois, near the kids, I went to pick Natalie and Zach up while their parents went out and when I arrived, Zach had nothing packed, but Natalie, here, she had so many books with her, she could barely carry them all. I remember trying to get her to choose only a few and she started crying, and then, she tried to carry them all as we walked to the car, and they all fell down. It was the cutest thing. I've never seen a kid more obsessed with books than Natalie."

Keith gave a tiny grin and. "Well, I think Ruth's right, I do need to go sleep…You comin'?" he asked Natalie.

"In a minute," she said.

"Good," he replied, giving her a kiss, before turning to Ruth and saying, "Thanks for the chat."

"No problem, Keith. Feel better." He only groaned at that, while making his way back downstairs.

Once he was out of sight, Ruth turned to Natalie. "You've got yourself a great man,"

"I know."

"It's true. Good men are hard to come by, especially good men that love you for who you are. And Keith, he's a good man. He's in love with you, for _you_. The way he _talks _about you—the way he _looks_ at you." She stopped to shake her head, as if she couldn't believe what she was saying. This caused Natalie to blush, and lower her gaze to the table. "Just make sure you keep him."

At this statement, Natalie glanced up. "Oh, I most definitely will."

* * *

The rest of their vacation went by quickly. They spent it just spending time at the cabin, swimming in the lake, or going to the amusement park down the street. A few times, they even found places where they could pick blueberries.

It was the last night of their vacation, and Natalie was a bit sad to be leaving, but also excited to get home and start college in a month. Her whole family was sitting around the bonfire they had made in the backyard, when a thought occurred to her. She figured that it was the best time to tell her parents about being accepted to Carbondale. She was starting school in a few weeks' time, and they needed to know. She couldn't keep it a secret forever.

She waited until everyone had made their first smores before she cleared her throat and said, "I have something to tell you guys."

At this, everyone glanced over to her all gracing different expressions. Her mom and dad looked incredibly worried, while Keith gave her a knowing look. Zach, well, he looked like he could care less.

"What is it, sweetie?" prompted Caroline. Natalie just hoped she didn't ask her if she was pregnant.

"Well," she started, glad her Mom hadn't run to conclusions like she usually did. "Back in February, Keith gave me something for Valentine's Day." Keith gave her a surprised look, but she didn't say anything and continued. "He gave me a bunch of college applications."

"Really?" spoke up Pete. She had gained his most full and immediate attention.

She nodded. "Yeah, and so I picked a few of my favorites, and then sent in the applications." She stopped to clear her throat. "The night before we came here I got a letter from Carbondale."

"The school not far from us?" asked Caroline.

Natalie again nodded. "Yeah, that one. And, well, I was accepted, so I have decided to start this fall—in a few weeks. I've just have to sign up for classes when we get home…"

She glanced up, having not realizing her gaze was focused to the ground. Truthfully, as much as she didn't want to admit it, she was a bit worried her parents would be disappointed that she had decided to go to a school nearby and not Duke. But when she caught her parents' gazes, she only saw happiness radiating through them and her worry quickly vanished.

"We are so proud of you, Natalie," said Pete. "You've made a great choice. Any ideas what you're going to major in?"

"Well, I definitely want to do something with English, and they have a great English program."

Pete smiled at this, and said, "I think it's the perfect school for you."

She returned her smile. "Thanks, Dad."

Keith leaned over and gave Natalie a kiss on the cheek before saying, "She's going to do great. I know it." He kissed her once more, before handing her a bag of marshmallows and saying, "Want me to make you another one?" He gave her one of his famous lopsided grins.

"I'd love one," she answered, as she leaned up against him, he took his free arm that wasn't holding the stick into the fire and wrapped it around her, pulling her closer to him. She rested her head against his chest.

"You're mine," she whispered.

She felt Keith move, and a few seconds later, she felt him gently kiss the top of her forehead, whispering back, "I'm yours."

* * *

**A/N:** _I hope you guys enjoyed it! Again, I'm sorry for how long it took me to get this chapter out. I am going to try my hardest to get the next one out in a shorter amount of time. By the way, just so you guys know, there is only one more chapter left, and then the epilogue!_


	25. We Can Go Anywhere

**A/N:** _Thanks to everyone who reviewed! They seriously mean a lot to me! I love to know that people are enjoying this story as much as I am writing it. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I know it's shorter than normal, but it is the last chapter, and I didn't want to drag it out too much._

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* * *

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**Chapter Twenty-five: We Can Go Anywhere **

The day Natalie and her family got back from Michigan, she had begun preparing for her classes, which were due to start in three weeks. A few days into getting ready for them, however, Keith, was so annoyed with her persistent talk about classes, he had finally stopped her from organizing her binders, and bluntly called her obsessed, (which Natalie did think was a _bit_ harsh).

In all honestly, she was just excited. More excited than she really had expected she would be.

After Keith had called her obsessed, she had done the only thing she could think of. She dragged him to the bookstore to get her textbooks, hoping to get back at him for the rather harsh comment. However, once she and Keith arrived, she saw a longing look grace his face, as he slowly trailed his fingers down some of the books.

It was then, in that moment, Natalie knew that all of Keith's remarks about how stupid school was (which had been happening quite frequently) were only said because he wanted to go to school just like any other nineteen year old. These thoughts made Natalie feel guilty that she had dragged him to the bookstore; forcing him to be subjected to something he wasn't yet able to take part of. She wanted to talk to him about it, but knew some things were better left unsaid. Plus, she figured—or hoped—that at the beginning of the next year, Keith would be able to start school, or do whatever he dreamed of.

That afternoon, once they had gotten home from the bookstore, and were about to make some lunch when Henry called Keith, letting him know the good news. He was coming home.

For good.

In seven days.

The next seven days passed quickly, and the smile that graced Keith's face since the phone call with Henry, never once diminished during the week. Natalie was extremely happy for Keith, glad that he'd be able to have his father around, but she was also a bit upset.

She had known Henry was going to come back soon; he had already been gone longer than originally planned, but she wasn't ready for Keith to move out so suddenly. She was use to being able to check on him whenever she could, go to him whenever she felt like it.

She knew it was selfish, since Keith had been away from his dad for longer than a year, but she couldn't help feeling sad that he wouldn't always been there when she needed him. She was going to miss him giving her a kiss on the forehead every night before she fell asleep; she was going to miss making him breakfast, she was going to miss finding him playing video games with Zach at odd hours of the night.

Simply, she was going to miss his presence.

Currently, it was nearing time for Keith to leave to go pick Henry up for the airport and Natalie was helping Keith pack (which he had, not surprisingly, left till the last minute).

They were having a problem trying to fit all of Keith's clothes into the small bag he had arrived with. "Seems like your parents bought me enough clothes to last years," commented Keith as he somehow squeezed his last pair of pants into his bag.

Natalie laughed, before saying, "Well, they didn't want you to freeze." They both stood up, glancing around the room to make sure Keith had everything before they made their way downstairs. When they got downstairs and walked to the front door, however, Cynthia was sitting on the couch, arms crossed over her chest, looking quite upset.

"Cynthia, what's up?" asked Keith, setting his bag down and walking over to her.

Cynthia brought her lower lip out in a pout, keeping her gaze on her lap. "I don't want you to leave."

Keith kneeled down in front of her. "I'll still be over _all_ of the time," he stated.

"I know, but that's different."

"How so?" he asked.

Cynthia finally looked up into his eyes. "Because now, when you come over, you'll just hang out with Natalie."

"Na, I won't," said Keith, shaking his head. "I'll hang out with you, too. I promise," he stated seriously.

Cynthia's eyes grew wide. "Really?"

"Really," said Keith. "Look, I promise next time I come over we'll watch _Hannah Montana_ episodes and eat lots of candy, okay?"

"And ice cream?"

Nodding, Keith replied, "And ice cream."

Cynthia smiled, and then, jumping off the couch, said, "And we can play Hannah Montana Karaoke, too! I'm going to go practice now! Bye, Keith!"

"Bye, Cynthia. See ya soon."

Once Cynthia disappeared upstairs, Keith walked over to Natalie who was leaning up against the front door. He placed both hands on the door, on each side of her. "I don't want you to leave either," said Natalie, staring into his green eyes.

"Ah, I get it," said Keith, giving her a lopsided grin. "You're trying to prevent me from leaving, aren't you?"

Natalie shrugged. "Maybe..." A smirk crossed her face and she said, "What if I just locked you in my room?"

Keith chuckled leaning his forehead against hers. "Partner, you're silly."

"Silly?" she huffed. "You don't think I'll do it, 'cause I will!"

He didn't reply, only grinned at her before backing away a few inches so he could give her a kiss on the forehead. After, he picked up his bag, and then stood in front of her, waiting for her to back away from the door. "You know, I'm going to be late picking up my dad," he finally said, trying to sound serious. However, he couldn't prevent the playful smirk that crossed his face.

Natalie crossed her arms against her chest. "So?" Then, a few seconds later, she said, "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too, partner."

Slowly, she began to inch away from the door, and once she was far enough, Keith grabbed the doorknob and opened the door, before turning to look at her. "I'll see you soon, you know. I'm not going anywhere."

"I know," she smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow, right? Remember, we're—"

"Bowling with April and the gang, I know. How could I forget?"

He walked over to where she was standing, and gently kissed her on the lips. Slowly, Natalie pulled away from the kiss, so their lips were just gracing each other's and said, "What if I have a nightmare?" She knew it sounded childish, but she always had Keith there to murmur reassurances that it was _just a dream_, but what would happen now, that he wasn't here?

"Partner," he breathed, running his fingers gently through her hair, "remember, I'm just a call away."

* * *

The first night without Keith there had been unsettling, and at first Natalie didn't like it. The emptiness of his room, his empty seat at dinner, and the absence of his goodnight kiss had reminded her too much of the time that he had been in the hospital. But, she did exactly what Keith had reminded her.

She called him.

It had worked, and the reassurance that he was at his house, and not alone in the cold, dark hospital, improved her loneliness greatly. She figured it would just take time to get use to the fact that he wouldn't always be around.

And, at six the next night, when he showed up, the first thing Natalie did was wrap her arms around him in a tight hug. "Missed you," she said, breaking away from the hug and giving him a quick kiss on the lips.

"Missed you, too." He grabbed her hand. "Now, let's go!" He barely gave her time to grab her purse before he began leading her outside.

"Why're you in such a hurry?" she asked, fumbling with the door, as she tried to lock it, while Keith continued to pull her into the direction of his truck.

"Because, we're going bowling," he said, excited.

He opened the passenger door for her, and was already in the driver's seat by the time she got her seatbelt on. If she would have known he would be this excited to just go bowling, she would have gone with him more often. But, deep down, she knew that bowling wasn't the real reason he was so excited. She knew the real reason.

His last chemo treatment was tomorrow.

Natalie was just as excited, she honestly couldn't wait until he would start feeling better, and could help out Andy more (which he had begun to talk about constantly).

They arrived at the bowling alley, and as soon as they walked inside Natalie heard Brooke scream, "Natalie, Keith! Over here!" It wasn't hard to catch sight of Brooke, as she was waving her arms in the air to get their attention.

When they walked over, the first thing that Brooke did was give both Natalie and Keith a huge hug. Natalie and Keith also greeted Robbie, Trish, and Travis, who were the only people who had shown up so far. Once everyone had greeted each other Trish said, "We have tons of snacks," she stated, Natalie was about to ask something so Trish quickly added, "Oh, we just sweet talked the manager and he let us bring all this food. Isn't that cool?"

"Awesome, it all looks great," said Natalie, she then glanced at all the food. There was chips and dip, cookies, candies, but it was the cake that caught Natalie's attention. It was chocolate and had the word 'congrats' written on it with yellow icing.

"Who's the cake for?" asked Keith, before she could. He grabbed an Oreo, and popped it into his mouth before waiting for Trish to reply.

At this, Trish rolled her eyes, before saying, "For you, duh! Don't you like it?"

"For me?" asked Keith, mouth still full of cookie. He blinked slowly, glancing between the cake and Trish. "Why?"

"Your last treatment, silly!" she said.

Keith's eyes got wide, and Natalie detected a small blush rise on his cheeks. "Oh, wow, thanks a lot." He was about to say something else, but Travis and Robbie called him over to help with something. He gave Trish a huge lopsided grin, grabbed another Oreo, before walking over to join the boys.

Trish bit her lip, glancing at Natalie worriedly. "Were we not supposed to know?"

"Oh, no," said Natalie, shaking her head. "It's fine. I mean, he still gets embarrassed and shy about it. But, it's fine, honest."

Just then, Brooke walked over and they all three began catching up, waiting for April, Dawn, and Zach to show up. Twenty minutes later, and an extremely anxious Keith, the rest of the group finally showed up. However, Natalie was shocked to see Dawn holding hands with a boy tall, slender, dirty blonde haired boy she had never seen before.

"Who's that?" asked Brooke.

"I'm betting that's Jeremy," said Natalie, smiling.

"He's hot," whispered Trish, just as April and Dawn walked over to them.

"Hey, Natalie," said Dawn, giving her a huge grin that reached her eyes. "This is Jeremy."

He held out his hand, and Natalie shook it. "Nice to meet you," he said.

"You too," replied Natalie.

Natalie was just about to ask him a few questions, when Keith came bounding over. "Are we ready to play?" He gave Natalie a pleading look.

"Yup, we're ready." She figured he had been patient enough already.

They played two games of bowling, before everyone was getting sick of it, except Keith of course. It wasn't that they were bored of playing it was more because Keith had won every single game, by far.

"Please, one more game," he pleaded. "Just one more, promise." At everyone's looks, he said, "Okay, what if I played left handed?"

"No," moaned Dawn, "Please, you have kicked all our asses and you aren't even trying. In fact, you're trying to lose and you still win!"

"I'm sorry," he said. "Look, I won't win the next—"

"Let's have some cake," said Brooke, suddenly, quickly standing up and opening the box the cake was in. Once she got the cake out of the box, she glanced at Keith and saw his upset expression. "Okay, fine, after we all eat cake we'll play one more game, all right?"

"Yes!" said Keith, ignoring the groans there were heard all around.

"Hey, April?" asked Brooke. "Think you could help me cut this cake? I'm not doing so well."

"Course," she replied, as she got up off of Zach's lap and walked over. She grabbed the knife from Brooke and began cutting. "I could've made a cake, you know," spoke up April after a few seconds.

"Oh, it's fine," said Brooke. "Though, I'm sure yours would have tasted much better."

"Thanks," blushed April. She finished cutting the cake and then began handing out a huge slab of it to everyone.

While everyone was busy eating their cake, Dawn spoke up, saying, "So, Keith, congratulations and everything."

He blushed a little, and mumbled, "Thanks."

"How's it feel?" she asked.

"It feels great, really great." He took a bite of cake, before saying, "But, you know, I'm scared and all."

"Scared?" asked Trish, surprised he had voiced this.

He shrugged. "Yeah, I mean, look at last time they said I was better. I was only in remission for like three months before it came back."

This comment caused a thought to cross Natalie's mind and she said, "How long do you have to be in remission, before they think it won't come back?"

Keith shrugged again, taking another bite of his cake. "Well, no one's ever cancer free; it's just that they don't see any evidence. But, they say about five years in remission, before they're pretty sure you've beaten it. But, really, being out of remission doesn't mean it can't come back."

Natalie blinked slowly, surprised at how long he—_they_—would have to wait. In reality, it kind of scared her. Would she wake up every morning, wondering if the cancer had come back? She hoped not; she hoped that it wouldn't stop them from having a normal life.

Keith must have caught onto what Natalie was thinking because he said, "Don't worry, partner. Everything's going to be fine."

"How do you know?" she asked, making sure her tone was playful. She didn't want to ruin the mood with her worried thoughts.

"Because, I just _know_ these things."

Laughing, she leaned up against him. "I see."

"So, Keith, what will you be most excited about once you're done with your last treatment?" asked Trish.

Keith looked thoughtful for a few seconds. "Hm…that's a tough one. It's tied between being happy that I won't be throwing up all the time…or the fact that I finally get to grow my hair back!"

Everyone laughed at that. "Hm," said Zach. "I don't know, dude. I kind of dig the beanies."

Keith laughed, and they all returned to their cake. In silence, they finished eating, and just as they were all about to start playing their last game of bowling, Keith looked over to Natalie. "Hey, I forgot to ask you."

"What?" she asked, retying her bowling shoes. Maybe if they were really, really tight, she'd play better. She was doubtful, but she wanted to try.

"You wanna go to dinner tomorrow night? With me and my dad?"

"Really?" she asked. She stopped retying her shoes to look at him.

Nodding, Keith said, "Yup, he said I get to pick the place, too! We're celebrating my last treatment and all."

"We're not going to out just for ice cream, are we? We'll actually get like a real meal, right?"

Keith playfully hit her on the shoulder, "Of course, partner. Now, hurry up, we have another game to play."

* * *

The next day, at one in the afternoon, Natalie and Keith arrived at the hospital for Keith's last treatment. Emily showed Keith to his usual room. Once he was comfortable on the hospital bed, Emily gently grabbed his arm and began rubbing an alcohol swab on it. A few seconds later, she threw the swab in the trash can and then carefully prodded Keith's elbow looking for a good vein, then, in a flash, she had the needle in his arm.

"You're all set," she said, smiling at him. "Remember, call me if you need anything."

"I will," said Keith.

Keith's treatment went by smoothly, and the four hours passed surprisingly fast. Natalie and Keith had spent it watching television, playing hangman, and talking. When Emily came in, however, to unhook Keith from the IV she was also followed by Dr. Normandy and a nurse Natalie had never met.

"Hi," said Keith. She could tell he looked a bit nervous. "What's going on?"

"Nothing bad," said Emily as she began taking the needle out of the crook of Keith's elbow. "We just have something for you."

"Here you go," said a short petite nurse, handing a card to Keith.

"Thanks, Susie," said Keith, slowly and carefully opening the card. As soon as he opened it his eyes got wide and he said, "Wow, thanks guys."

"What is it?" asked Natalie.

"They got me a gift card to Coldstone and the movie theater. Thanks a lot," he said again, glancing at everyone with a thankful expression.

"It was no problem, Keith," started Dr. Normandy. "We just wanted to congratulate you for this being your last treatment and all. And we all hope never to see you again."

This caused Keith to chuckle and say, "And I hope to never see you guys again."

* * *

Natalie and Keith arrived at Keith's house a few minutes after Henry had gotten home from work.

Henry must have heard them pull up into the driveway because as soon as Keith got out of Natalie's car, Henry was outside, walking towards him. Once he reached his son, he enveloped him into a fierce hug. Natalie hear him then ask, "How'd it go?"

"Great. I'm done!" he exclaimed. Natalie smiled at the child-like excitement radiating in his voice. "No more hospitals, no more feeling sick all of the time."

"I'm so happy," said Henry. "I just can't believe…" he trailed off, not finishing his sentence, but Natalie was pretty sure she could finish it for him. She couldn't believe either that Keith was still here, with her, with _them_. With all that he had gone through; with how many times he had been so close to death.

She was lucky.

He was lucky.

They were lucky.

Lucky—that was the only word she could use to describe it. Describe everything that had happened in the past year.

After a few more moments, Keith squirmed and Henry regretfully let go of Keith. "So, you still wanna go to dinner?"

Grinning, Keith said, "Of course, Dad."

"Well, then, hurry up. Reservations are at six."

Henry turned to Natalie. "I see you're all dressed up. You look nice, Natalie."

"Thanks," she smiled, glancing down at her summer dress she had chosen to wear. She had been a bit worried it wasn't dressy enough, but according to Henry's reaction it was. Keith then grabbed her hand, leading her inside his house and into his room.

Natalie closed Keith's bedroom door behind her, and Keith promptly took off his pants and shirt, leaving him in only his boxers. He began riffling through his messy closet, looking for a pair of dress pants, and dress shirt. Finally, a few minutes later, he stood up, grinning, as he held a pair of pants and a shirt, looking quite proud of himself.

"What?" he asked, as Natalie rolled her eyes at him.

"Don't you think it'd be better if you actually, you know, put your clothes away? Then they wouldn't look all wrinkly and stuff." She said pointing to the extremely wrinkly white dress shirt he was holding.

Keith just rolled his eyes, not responding to her statement, and instead quickly put on his pants. He was about to put on his shirt, but at Natalie's look he said, "What? Is something…"

"I really like you in dress pants," she breathed, giving him a sly look. She grabbed a belt loop on his pants, pulling him closer to her, where she was sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Really?" he asked. "Well, maybe, after dinner…"

"Hmm…" said Natalie, and using her free hand that wasn't gripping his belt loop, she grabbed his arm and pulled him down, so their faces were level. When their lips were just gracing each other's, she said, "Definitely."

Keith gave Natalie a huge grin, his green eyes twinkling in excitement, longing, and anticipation. He gave her a gentle kiss on the lips, before standing up and grabbing his shirt that he had carelessly dropped on the floor, and put it on. Just as he was started to button it up, Keith's door flew open and Henry stood in the doorway.

"Geez, Dad!" screamed Keith, turning around so his back was facing him. "Don't you knock?"

Henry chuckled. "Is there any reason I should be knocking?" He gave Natalie a look, causing her to blush.

"Because I'm getting dressed," huffed Keith.

"I think I'll survive," laughed Henry. He then glanced, Keith over, confused. "Keith, don't you have something less wrinkly?" Keith's shirt was wrinkled, very wrinkled; it looked even more wrinkled on than it had when he had been holding it.

"No," he stated simply. Keith began searching for some type of shoes and Natalie noticed that he hadn't buttoned his shirt up the whole way, and the skin of his collarbone was poking out, causing her to want to touch that sensitive spot with her lips. She had to avert her eyes away from him and that soft spot of skin.

"I'm ready," said Keith a few seconds later as he found a pair of really old looking dress shoes. He quickly put them on. Keith glanced up to Henry and said, "What?" Henry was glancing at Keith a little strangely. "What is it?"

"You feel okay, right?" asked Henry.

"I feel great, Dad," he said rolling his eyes. "Now, let's go."

"Are you sure you don't feel too sick? Like you might throw up? You did just get a treatment…"

"Dad!" yelled Keith, walking out of his room. "God!"

"Okay, okay," laughed Henry. He turned to Natalie. "Seems like he's glad I'm back."

* * *

They got to the restaurant, a fancy steak place called, The Famous, just in time for their reservations.

Once they all three sat down, Henry said, "All right, you kids can get anything you want."

"Really?" asked Keith, looking quite surprised at this.

"Really," smiled Henry.

"Partner, you should get this really cool frozen strawberry drink they have. I've seen it before."

"Are you going to get one?" she asked hesitantly.

He rolled his eyes. "No way. Way too girly, but you can get one."

"Go ahead, Natalie. Get whatever you want."

So she did.

The strawberry drink was amazing. Keith agreed—he did try it (when no one was looking, of course)—he apparently couldn't be caught drinking such a girly beverage. They ordered salads and steaks, and Natalie had to agree with Keith—this was one of the best, if not the best restaurant, she had ever been to.

Just as they ordered dessert (a chocolate cake with three scoops of ice creams), Keith left to use the restroom, leaving Natalie and Henry alone.

Once he was out of sight, Henry cleared his throat and said, "I just wanted to thank you again, Natalie, for everything that you did and are still doing for Keith, especially since I couldn't be there, with him. Just thanks for being there, and thanks for just loving him."

Blushing, Natalie replied, "Thanks, Henry, but you don't need to keep thanking me. Really."

"Yes, I do," he stated seriously. "Natalie, I don't think you understand everything you have done for him."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Keith," started Henry, but stopped to compose himself. "Keith, he's had a hard few years—he's had a hard life—from the car accident and mom's death, then getting sick…"

"I don't think…" she started, but Henry cut her off.

"Natalie," he started, and she noticed that his eyes were getting a bit red. "Keith, before he met you, he didn't care he was dying—he didn't want to live. I remember, one time, we got into a fight and he screamed at me, saying, 'I don't care if I die—I want to die!'" Henry shivered involuntarily, and continued, "At the time, I think he thought he deserved getting the cancer, and that he was going to die."

"Because of his mom?" Natalie finally spoke up.

Slowly, Henry nodded. "Yeah, I-I think that was a big part of it…He just blamed himself so much for the accident. He still does, but after you and he talked about her, about the accident, it helped.

"How do you know, about that?" she asked. "That he told me."

"Because he called me. I don't know, it couldn't have been more than a few days after, but he wanted to talk to me, about her, about the accident."

"Really?" asked Natalie, surprised, since Keith hadn't really spoken about his mom since the night he had told her how she had died.

"Yeah," nodded Henry. "He also was concerned that I blamed him. I think he's thought that a lot for the past few years, but he's never asked…he's just assumed. I wish I would have know, I would've said something, saved him from the pain. At least some pain, if not all of it."

"Gosh, I had no idea," said Natalie, thinking about all of what Henry had said. "I had no idea that he really didn't care if he died. I mean, at least to the extent of you said."

"But, Natalie, you need to see that all of that changed once he met you. He found a reason to live, a reason to survive, and I will never be able to thank you enough for that. You have dug him out of the deep hole he's been in the last few years."

Natalie was about to respond to his, but she saw Keith walking back, and hoped that she didn't look too guilty. "What's up?" he asked, glancing between Natalie and Henry.

"Nothing," replied Henry.

Keith glanced to Natalie, and she responded with a small smile, "Yeah, nothin'."

* * *

The chilly October air hit Natalie as soon as she stepped outside. Pulling her jacket close to herself, she made her way quickly to her car for two reasons. One, she couldn't wait to drive to Keith's and hug him, and second, because it was just plain cold.

But, as soon as she walked was in sight of the campus parking lot, she was greeted with a pleasant surprise. Keith was leaning up against the door of his truck, his left foot crossing over his right and his hands were in the pocket of his new jacket (which Natalie had bought him a few weeks ago, at K-Mart no less).

He was standing in the exact same position he had when he picked her up, a year and a half ago, the day they had their goodbye scene at the airport.

"Hey," she smiled as she got closer. She stood in front of him, looking at him expectantly.

"Hey, partner," he said, a smile graced his face before he said, "How was class?"

"Boring," she stated. He bent down, kissing her on the forehead, before he said, "Hop in."

She did so, and once she was in the passenger seat Keith said, "All right, I have two venti hot chocolates and a lunchbox full of your favorite snacks."

"What for?" asked Natalie, as she grabbed the hot chocolate closest to her and took a sip. It warmed her body immediately; she kept the cup in her hands, letting the warmth from it warm her even more.

"For our trip."

"Our trip?"

"Yup," he nodded as he began driving out of the parking lot.

"Where are we going?"

"Nowhere in particular, partner."

"How long are we going to be gone?"

"Till Wednesday, just in time for your classes," he stated. A huge grin was spreading across his face.

"Really?"

"Yup," he nodded, "really."

A thought, then, suddenly, struck her. "But-but I don't have anything packed!"

"Don't worry, taken care of. I packed."

"You packed? For me?"

"Yes, partner," he huffed, as he merged onto the highway. "I packed for you."

"Did you pack my—"

"Hairdryer, yes."

"My-"

"Toothbrush, of course."

"Oh my god! What about my—"

"Yes, I packed all of your books." Natalie opened her mouth to say something, but he quickly added, "And your textbooks, too."

Natalie was silent for a while, as she let everything sink in. She watched the trees pass by as they drove down the highway. A few minutes later, she scooted closer to him, leaning up against his warm body. "So, where are we _really_ going?"

"Don't you get it, partner? We don't need to have a destination. Do you see? Don't you understand? You and me, now, we can go anywhere."

* * *

**A/N:** _I hope you guys enjoyed the ending to this story. As I said before there will be an epilogue, so don't worry there's one more chapter! I really hope to have it posted within the next couple weeks; however, I do start classes on the nineteenth, so I can't promise anything._

_I do have a question for all of my readers. As some of you may know, I did have this story written in full before I posted it, but then I realized how much it sucked so I did a major revision (and pretty much rewrote it); because of this, I have quite a few deleted scenes (or scenes that I changed drastically) that did not end up in this version of the story. _

_So the question is: How many of you guys would be interested in reading them? I was thinking of posting them, but don't want to spend too much time doing so, if no one is interested in reading deleted scenes that didn't make the cut. So, please send me a review or PM and let me know if you would be interested._

_And as always, I would love to know your thoughts on this chapter, so please review!_


	26. Epilogue: For Infinity

**A/N:**_ Well, guys, here's the last chapter—the epilogue. I'm sorry it took so long to update, but the length of this chapter (I hope it's not too long—I got carried away) explains why and hopefully makes up for the wait. Also, please read my author's note at the end, which has some important info, and thanks a lot to everyone who reviewed the last chapter!_

**Warning: **_Just to be on the safe side, this chapter is rated M for drinking and sexual content._

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* * *

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**Epilogue: For Infinity**

_Four and a half years later…_

Natalie's pen ran furiously across her paper, and every few seconds she would glance at the clock which was on the wall in front of her. She only had twenty minutes left of her exam, and then she would be done.

For good.

She couldn't prevent the small smirk that graced her face as she wrote the last sentence to her essay; she was so relieved this was the last exam she had to take…ever. She felt a rush of excitement course through her as she flipped her essay back to the beginning and began reading it over, deciding to take the last few minutes she had left and check for any mistakes.

Fifteen minutes later, she felt satisfied with what she had written, and closed her blue book, a huge smile gracing her face. Honestly, she felt that it was one of the best in class essays she had ever written. Gathering her stuff, she stood up, carelessly throwing her backpack over one shoulder as she made her way to the front of the classroom where she deposited her test.

As soon as she exited the classroom, she let out a tiny squeal, not caring that some other students, who were walking down the hallway, gave her strange looks, because she was _done with college_.

Making her way to Keith's truck (he had let her borrow it), she reflected on all that had happened in the past four and a half years since she had started college.

Brooke and Travis were still going out, and were living together. Natalie wasn't sure if they were ever going to get married, as they both seemed perfectly happy. They had also both graduated in the spring (Travis majored in engineering and Brooke accounting).

Trish and Robbie got married during their junior year. They had graduated the same time as Brooke and Travis; Robbie majored in criminal justice and Trish nursing. They had moved into an extremely beautiful house in Beaver Creek, near the woods once they had graduated.

April ended up changing her major, from a vet to management. Once she graduated, she opened a bakery and became the manager. A few months after she had graduated, Zach and she had got married, and six months later, they found out that April was pregnant…with twins. Everyone had found it extremely hilarious (and exciting) that a twin was having _twins_. April was able to still manage her bakery while taking care of her three month olds. Zach was in the process of finishing his bachelors degree in computer science while working full-time at a computer company.

Dawn had only gone out with Derek for about three months, and then she realized what, according to her, a "creeper" he was, and had been single since. She constantly stated how much she "loved being single"; however, Natalie suspected the only reason she said that was because she had the hots for her male co-worker, Joey. Natalie knew they were going to get together, the only question was: when. She knew Joey was as into Dawn as much as Dawn was into him. And that was saying something.

During Natalie's first semester in college, Keith had spent his free time helping Andy out at his shop, and going to frequent doctor's appointments to make sure that his cancer hadn't come back. During Christmas, after Natalie's first semester at college, Henry's boss told him that he needed to move to Michigan, and, without even thinking about it—he quit. And that spring, Henry and Keith bought a small shop, which was going to become a truck repair shop. Henry had decided it was time for him to do something that he loved, and it worked perfectly for Keith, who had decided during Natalie's first semester that he wanted to make a career out of fixing trucks, he just didn't know where to begin. The new shop was his answer. And Natalie had never seen Keith happier.

Natalie still lived with her parents wanting to save her money, and not move into a dorm or apartment. Plus, Keith had moved into his own apartment and she spent pretty much all her time over there. She still worked at Hooked on Books, and was glad to see that business was still doing well.

Natalie's mom, Caroline, had taken up decorating again, while Pete began doing more photography, on the side of his job as a contractor for a phone company. Cynthia was still into Hannah Montana, but shockingly not as obsessed.

A huge gust of cold, biting air, caused Natalie to break out of her reverie as she shivered; she hadn't realized that she had been so caught up reflecting on the past four and a half years that she was standing by Keith's truck. It was just amazing to think what had happened in such a short amount of time. Smiling to herself at the memories (and the fact that she was leaving her campus, which she hoped was for good), she got into Honeybun, starting to make her way towards Keith's shop—she _couldn't _wait to see Keith.

She hadn't spent much quality time with him in the past week as she had been busy studying for finals, and was excited to spend some time with him tonight. Arriving at the shop, she parked and walked through the doors, only stopping a few seconds to greet Henry. She entered the garage where a bunch of trucks were in various stages of repair, and it only took her a few moments to find Keith, who was busily working underneath an old classic blue truck.

"Hey," she whispered, kneeling on her knees next to his form. She must have startled him, because she heard a bang, a few curse words, and then Keith appeared, rubbing the side of his head. "I didn't mean to scare you," she said. "Are you okay?"

She pulled his hand away from his forehead to check the damage herself. Even though the past four and a half years had passed with Keith remaining healthy, she couldn't stop herself from fretting over him whenever he felt sick or hurt himself. "I'm fine, partner. It's okay. I just banged it."

She smiled at him, running her hands through his hair (ever since it had grown back, she couldn't stop herself from constantly running her fingers through it), and kissed him on the lips, satisfied he was fine, before pulling away. He gave her a small grin, before settling himself back underneath the truck and said, "So, how'd it go?"

Natalie shrugged even though she knew he couldn't see her. "It went pretty well. Honestly, I'm at the point where I don't care anymore. I'm done with college!" she squealed.

"I'm so proud of you. I knew you could do it," he said, his voice strained as he attempted to tighten something.

"Well, I couldn't have done it without you. And even though it took me four and a half years instead of four…"

"Partner," pressed Keith. "I _told_ you, nowadays, it takes between four and five years to graduate. You need to stop freaking out that it took you four and a half years. With you majoring in English and minoring in creative writing and journalism it's amazing you did do it in four and a half years."

"Okay, okay. I know. I couldn't have done it without you, though. You know that? You were the one that stayed up with me countless nights to help me study, you were the one that brought me coffee, you were simply—"

"The best," Keith finished as he rolled out from underneath the truck.

"Yeah," she mused, glancing at him. "You were and still are the best." She bent down and kissed him again—she just _loved _his lips, they were so perfect.

"Someone's in a good mood," he smiled.

"Yup, so how are you?" she asked, as he sat up and began putting his tools away.

"I'm good," he replied, as he closed his toolbox.

"Great," she smiled. "I'm so excited to spend time with you tonight." At the mention of the word tonight, Natalie swore she saw a look of almost….fear cross his features, but as soon as it appeared it was gone.

"Me too," he said, giving her a small smile as he stood up. She followed suit.

She followed him into the shop, and as he placed his toolbox on the counter, she seated herself in one of the big yellow chairs they had in the waiting room. "So," she asked, as he walked to a cabinet to put his tools away, "we're still going out to dinner, right?"

At her question, the toolbox that he was just about to place on a shelf fell from his hands and onto the floor, opening and scattering tools all around. Keith dropped to his feet and quickly began picking up the tools. "You okay, there, son?" asked Henry, trying unsuccessfully to hide the smirk that was gracing his face, as he made his way over to the coffee machine and began pouring himself a cup.

"Yeah, I'm fine," mumbled Keith, he placed the last tool in the box, closed it, and placed it carefully on the shelf, before closing the cabinet.

Natalie waited until he was behind the counter, putting some scattered pens back into their container when she asked again, "So, Keith, are we?"

He then promptly hit the pen container, which caused the pens to spill out. "Shit," said Keith. He quickly righted everything before turning to look Natalie and said, "What? No—I mean yeah, _yes_. We—you and I—that is, yes, we're going to dinner. Yeah."

Natalie stared at him, giving him the strangest look she could muster. Why was he acting so strange? "Are you feeling all right?"

"No, I'm feeling quite sick to my stomach, actually," he muttered quietly.

"Sick?" asked Natalie. He did look a little pale.

"He's fine," said Henry, walking over to Keith and slapping him on the back. Hard. "You guys have _lots_ of fun tonight," he added as he started to make his way into his office.

"Are you sure he's fine?" asked Natalie, causing Henry to stop walking and turn to her.

"He's perfectly healthy. You guys better get going, though. Reservations are at seven, right, son?" he asked, turning to glance at Keith, who looked quite…well, Natalie wasn't sure what he looked like. He just didn't look normal.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, seven. They're at seven." mumbled Keith. "Bye, dad," he said, as he quickly walked around the counter, grabbed Natalie's hand, pulling her out of her chair and dragging her to the front door.

Just as Keith placed his hand on the door handle, Henry spoke up, and with a laugh in his voice asked, "Keith, got your tic-tacs?"

At this question, Keith's grip on the handle slid off, and, if Natalie wouldn't have been there to pull him back, she was certain the door would have slammed him in the face. He turned around, giving Henry the best glare he could muster while saying, "Yes, Dad, now _bye_." The door closed behind them, and Keith, still gripping onto her hand, practically dragged her to his truck.

While Keith drove to his apartment so they could both get ready, Natalie stared out the window, wondering what the heck was going on with Keith and why he was acting so strange.

And why the hell was Henry so concerned about Keith's having his tic-tacs?

* * *

Natalie wasn't sure what was going on with Keith. But something was definitely up with him. His odd and nervous behavior hadn't improved since they had left, and if anything, it was getting worse the more time went by.

And during dinner, Keith had spilt his glass of wine, his cup of water, and almost choked on his salad when she asked if they were going to their spot after dinner. She had thought to ask him about his strange and awkward behavior, but decided it might make him even more embarrassed than he already was, so she kept her mouth shut. She figured he was just having an off day and would be more relaxed once they got to their spot.

She was wrong.

He was just as clumsy, if not more, than he had been at the restaurant. Natalie watched him with concerned eyes as he, with shaky hands, helped her spread out a blanket on the ground. Once the blanket was spread out enough, they both sat down, resting against a large rock, as Keith covered themselves with an extra blanket.

It was in the middle of December and quite cold, but Natalie didn't mind, Keith's body heat kept her warm enough. She rested her head on Keith's shoulder, and stared ahead at the sky, just hoping to see a shooting star. It was still a little light out, but she hoped within the next half hour it would be dark enough to see more stars.

After a few minutes of silence, Keith spoke up, and said in a soft voice, "So, I have something to tell you."

For a brief horrible second, Natalie felt her heart skip a beat as her mind came up with a dozen awful things he was going to tell her. Like his cancer was _back_, and he was _dyin_g. But, she kept herself calm, figuring if it was really bad he wouldn't had waited.

Right?

"What's up?" she asked, hoping her calm voice didn't betray how she really felt.

"You know how I went to go get those tests?" he asked. "The ones I took a few weeks ago?"

How could she forget? Those tests were checking to make sure the cancer wasn't back. He normally took them every six months. "Y-yeah," her voice quivered. "I know."

"Well," he started, and she could tell by the tone of his voice that this wasn't bad news; she immediately felt herself relax. "I'm officially out of remission."

"What?" she breathed, lifting her head off of Keith's shoulder so quickly she was momentarily dizzy. "Are you serious?"

"Yup," he said, grinning at her, his green eyes sparkling.

"But I thought you said that they won't say you're out of remission until it's been five years?"

"Yeah, well," he said. "I kind of asked…and Dr. Normandy said it's been close enough to five years that he's pretty confident that it won't come back."

At this, she flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck; she was probably hugging him too tightly, but she couldn't get herself to let go, even a little bit. "Thank god," she whispered into his ear, her breath tickling his neck. "This is the _best _news I have ever heard," she added after a few seconds. Tears were building behind her eyes—she was just so incredibly happy.

He wrapped his arms around her and said, "I know." He then gently grabbed her around the waist and pulled her away from him, reluctantly she let go. He kissed her on the forehead, and even through blurry vision she could tell that he was grinning.

"I don't think this day can get any better," she stated, running her hands through his hair. This had been one of the best days of her life—finishing her last college exam, finding out Keith was out of remission…

"I think it could," stated Keith simply, but Natalie thought she detected a slight waver in his voice.

"Really?" she asked, smirking. "How so?"

He skillfully lifted her up again, and at the same time turned around so he could place her on the rock they normally leaned up against. And then, he said simply, "Tic-tacs."

"Tic-tacs?" she said, laughing. "You always think tic-tacs make everything better."

"Well," he started, and Natalie was certain this time that his voice was wavering. He shakily grabbed something out of his pocket and handed it to Natalie. "They do," he finally finished.

He kept his hand wrapped around the tic-tac case, as he gently placed it into Natalie's hand. In the few seconds that their hands were touching, she felt that Keith's hand was clammy and shaking. "Thanks," she said, looking at him; she was a little confused. Why didn't he just give her one tic-tac like he normally did, instead of giving her the whole case? He was just acting _so_ strange.

She gave him a small smile, and glanced away from him and to the tic-tac case in her hand, ready to open it and take one. But, when she opened the case, she didn't hear the normal movement of a bunch of tic-tacs clattering against each other; instead, she heard a noise that sounded more like a cling. Confused, she glanced down at her now opened hand and gasped. Inside the case there were no tic-tacs.

But instead a ring.

"Oh my god," she whispered, bringing her hand up to her face, as she simultaneously glanced up to Keith, who was now kneeling down on one knee.

"Partner, will you marry me?" he asked, as soon as their gazes met.

"Oh my god, Keith," she whispered. She felt the familiar prickling sensation behind her eyes and knew that she was going to dissolve into tears any second. She blinked furiously before she flung herself at him, hugging him even tighter than she had earlier.

She never, ever, wanted to let go.

Keith was going to be hers…forever. She thought that was possibly the best thing she had ever heard. Finally, the tears came. Gripping his shirt with her fists, she tried to hug him tighter. "I guess this is a…yes?" he asked a bit hesitantly.

At this, she realized she hadn't answered the most important question he probably would ever ask her. She reluctantly pulled away from him, and staring into his eyes as she said, "Yes, Keith. _Yes_, I will marry you."

At her answer she could see his eyes glaze over. "I love you, partner," he said, his voice cracking. "You have stayed with me through one of the hardest times in my life, and you have always been there for me. _Always_. No matter what. I am so in love with you. I don't think I can put it into words how much I am in love with you—how much I love you." A single tear fell from his eye and slid down his cheek.

Freely crying, Natalie had to calm herself down before she said, "Keith, I don't want to be with anyone else but you. You complete me. I-I love you, times infinity," she said, before she leaned forward and touched her lips against his.

When she pulled away, he gently took the tic-tac container that was resting on her lap, and with shaky hands, opened it and the ring fell onto his palm. "May I?" he asked. She nodded, and he gently grabbed her left hand and slowly slid the ring on her finger.

Once it was on, she lifted her hand up, the moonlight shining so she could see the ring in perfect clarity. It was exactly what she wanted—a white gold band, with a raised solitaire diamond in the middle. "God, Keith, it's beautiful."

"Really?" he asked. "You're not just saying that?"

"No, it's beautiful—it's perfect."

He visibly sighed. "Good. I-I picked it by myself. I didn't want anyone else to help me. Um, I also had it engraved."

"Really?" she asked, and she slid the ring off her finger, anxious to see what it said. She brought the ring up closely to her face, and squinting enough, saw that on the inside band engraved were the words, _Times Infinity_. "Times infinity," she said out loud, looking back up to Keith and giving him a watery smile.

"Yeah," he responded. "Times infinity."

* * *

Two hours later, they arrived back at Keith's apartment. Natalie had wanted to stay longer, but the later it got, the colder it got. As soon as Keith closed the door behind him, and threw his keys on the table, Natalie glanced at him and asked, "Are we _really_ going to get married?"

She grabbed his hand and plopped on the futon, hating how it creaked under her weight. He really needed to get an actual couch, since she was certain this futon wasn't going to be around much longer; it felt like it was going to break any day.

"Yes, partner," he said, snuggling up next to her. "We are _really_ getting married."

"I can't wait," she squealed.

"I can tell," said Keith, as he gave her his trademark lopsided grin. Natalie grabbed a tiny throw pillow that was on the futon and hit him with it. "Hey!" he exclaimed, rubbing his arm and glaring at her.

"Oh, please," she said, rolling her eyes, "like that hurt. You big baby."

"It _really_ did hurt."

Natalie sat up and kissed him on the cheek before saying, "I have to make a call."

"Another one?" asked Keith, frowning. "You've been making calls nonstop since."

"Not really," said Natalie, running her fingers down his arm, causing goosebumps to appear. "I think I stopped for awhile…remember… the back of your truck?"

"Hmm…" started Keith, "I'm not sure I really remember…I think you might need to remind me." He leaned towards her, trying to capture her lips in a kiss.

Gently, she pushed him away. "I _will_ remind you. After I make this call, that is."

He pulled away from her, crossed his arms over his chest and huffed. "Who are you calling now?" he asked.

"Brooke," she stated simply.

"Are you gonna be long?"

"Nope," she said. "I'm just going to tell her the news." She squealed again, before quickly dialing Brooke's number.

After four rings, Brooke answered. "Hey, girl, what's up?"

"Guess what?"

"What?"

"He proposed!"

"NO WAY! FINALLY!" Natalie had to move the phone away from her ear as Brooke started screaming. Giving Brooke a few seconds to calm down, she glanced over to Keith, who was glancing at her cell phone with wide eyes. "You have officially freaked Keith out with your screaming," she stated.

"Omigod," said Brooke, calming down a bit. "Can I talk to him?"

"Yup," she said. "I'll put you on speakerphone."

"Hey, river," said Keith once Natalie had put her cell phone on speakerphone and had resting it on the coffee table in front of them.

"Keith!" reprimanded Brooke. "You know how much I hate that nickname."

"I know, that's why I always call you it."

"One day I'm gonna come up with a _really_ annoying nickname you'll hate."

"Haven't you been trying to find one for the past three years?"

"Yes, actually, I have. And just so you know, I'm so close I can taste it." Natalie and Keith laughed. "Mark my words, you will have a nickname the next time I see you."

"I'll hold that to you," laughed Keith.

"Good, just as long as you know," said Brooke. "So, congratulations. I've been wondering, Keith, when you were going to get brave enough to ask her."

"Funny," he said sarcastically. "It wasn't that I was scared…I was just waiting for the right time."

"Right," Brooke laughed.

Natalie turned to him. "Oh, so you're telling me that your nervousness and clumsiness the whole night was just how you normally are. That it had nothing to do with being scared."

Keith glared. "Nope, none at all." But when neither Natalie nor Brooke said anything he finally said. "Geez! You girls act like it's easy to propose!"

"It is," stated Brooke.

"So, you girls are telling me that every guy out there should just not be worried about rejection? That the thought of rejection isn't scary?"

"Well, when you put it that way…" mused Brooke.

Keith smirked.

Natalie then said, trying to divert from Keith and Brooke having an argument, "Brooke, I'd love it if you would be my Maid of Honor."

"SERIOUSLY?"

Keith jumped at the scream. "Geez. You girls and your screaming. It's going to give me a heart attack."

"Don't geez me," said Brooke. "This is _huge_. Natalie, I will definitely do it. Just as long as you don't make me wear like a hideous bright orange dress with like a huge bow just so you will look better, because that's _totally_ not gonna fly with me."

"I was thinking of more like a puke green color, what'd ya think?"

"That's much better," Brooke responded sarcastically. "Well, I better let you two lovebirds go commemorate your engagement…"

"Oh, we already did that," said Natalie, "So we can still—"

"Actually," spoke up Keith, grabbing the cell phone off of the coffee table. "Natalie will call you tomorrow…because—"

"Don't say anymore," said Brooke. "I'll talk to you guys tomorrow. Bye!"

Keith threw Natalie's phone on the ground, before turning to look at her. "What?" he asked, glancing at her dumbfounded expression.

"I wasn't done talking to her!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, you were!" he said. Then, he smirked and leaned over, capturing his lips against her. This time, Natalie didn't push him away, but instead wrapped her arms around him, gripping onto his shirt as he gently moved her so she was resting on her back.

They kissed heatedly for a few moments before Keith pulled away and said, "So, are you going to remind me?"

"Uh huh," mumbled Natalie, dizzy with his kisses. "Let me think…first…I did this…" She brought her arms down and began unbuttoning his pants. Once she had taken them off, she moved his arm towards her shirt. "Then, you took my shirt off," she stated.

Keith moaned, as he began skillfully unbuttoning her dress shirt with one hand, as his other held himself up. When her shirt was off, Natalie went to say something, but he silenced her with a kiss before saying, "I remember now…"

* * *

The next week passed in a daze; Natalie had been so excited that she could finally call Keith her _fiancé _that she honestly didn't pay that much attention to the fact that she had her graduation and some of her family had arrived—she was just too excited; too excessively happy. Her relatives had already left town, only staying long enough to see her walk, and then go out to dinner to catch up with everyone. It had made Natalie a little sad that they hadn't stayed longer, but it was nearing Christmas and they needed to go back to their families for the holiday.

It was only two days until Christmas and Trish had invited Natalie and Keith over for a Christmas party. As soon as they arrived, close to six, they walked in the door, not bothering to knock. Keith retreated into the living room to go say hi to Travis, while Natalie went in search of Trish and Brooke.

"Hey, guys," she greeted, as soon as she caught sight of them in the kitchen. Trish was preparing a salad and Brooke was flipping through a book called, _Fancy Drinks_.

"Hey, Natalie!" said Trish. "Glad you could make it. Dinner should be done soon."

"Ugh, forget it. This book sucks. I say we stick with the traditional Egg Nog—it is Christmas after all," exclaimed Brooke.

"Sounds good," said Trish.

"You want one Natalie?" asked Brooke.

"Definitely. So where's Robbie?" she asked, realizing that Robbie hadn't been in the living room with Travis.

"On an emergency run," Trish stated simply, as she began dumping carrots and tomatoes into the salad.

"An emergency run for what?"

"What do you think?" asked Trish, shaking her head as she pushed the salad bowl over to Natalie. "Do you think you can add the oil and vinegar? I have to check the lasagna."

"Sure," said Natalie, pulling the salad bowl closer and grabbing the oil and vinegar that was on the table and adding it to the salad. "So why couldn't April and Zach come?"

Trish pulled out a huge plate of lasagna from the oven before saying, "April went to Zach's work Christmas party, and Dawn decided that she'd rather go to her work Christmas party, too."

"Ah," said Natalie, as she mixed the dressing into the salad. "I bet I know why she'd rather attend her work Christmas party."

"Joey," said Brooke, as she finished pouring the Egg Nog into three wine glasses.

Everyone laughed.

Just as Natalie was finishing the salad, Trish suddenly stopped, glanced at Natalie, and squealed. "Oh my god! I haven't seen it yet." She promptly grabbed Natalie's hand, and brought it close to her face so she could check out Natalie's ring. "It is gorgeous. He did a _really_ good job."

"I know," said Natalie, and just as she was about to tell her how incredibly _perfect_ the ring was she felt a strong arm wrap around her stomach, while the other reached out and grabbed a carrot from the salad bowl. "Keith," she said, smacking his hand before he could get away. "Stop it."

She turned around, glaring at him, as he slowly chewed his carrot. "I'm hungry," he stated simply.

"Dinner is pretty much done," said Trish, cutting up the lasagna.

"Sweet," said Keith, "That's why I came in here, actually. Travis couldn't get his butt off the couch to come ask."

Trish brought her lower lip out into a pout and said, "You're not here to say hi to me?" she asked.

"Or me?" asked Brooke.

"Hey, Trish," said Keith, grinning at her. He then glanced over to Brooke. "And hey, river."

"Shit!" said Brooke. "I haven't come up with a name for you yet!"

"I thought you said you were so close you could taste it?" reminded Keith.

"Shut up," she said. "Mark my words; you'll have a nickname by the end of the night."

"If you say so," said Keith, winking at her.

"Oh, Keith?" spoke up Trish, as she grabbed the lasagna and carried it to the dining room table.

"Yeah?"

"Congrats on doing a fantastic job with Natalie's ring—it's stunning."

He blushed. "Thanks a lot."

Just then, the front door opened and Natalie heard Robbie call out, "I have the beer!" He then entered the kitchen, carrying two twelve packs.

"Good grief, Robbie!" said Trish, glaring at him. "That's too much beer! What are we going to do with it?"

He furrowed his brow in confusion. "Um, drink it? And did you just say 'too much beer?" He turned to glance at Keith. "Did she just say 'too much beer'?"

"I think so, man," said Keith, shaking his head.

"Well," spoke up Travis who had just entered. "There is no such thing as too much beer."

"Exactly," agreed Keith and Robbie.

"Well, dinner's ready so let's all move into the dining room," said Trish, and everyone followed her.

The girls grabbed their Egg Nog, while the boys grabbed a beer, and soon they were sitting down at the table, commenting on Trish's meal.

Dinner passed by quickly. As they were cleaning up their dishes Brooke asked, glancing at Natalie and Keith, "Do you guys have a day planned out?"

"No," said Natalie, shaking her head. "But definitely in the summer. I've always wanted a summer wedding."

"You've got to get moving, then! That's in like six months."

"I know," said Natalie. "I'm already stressing."

"Don't worry, partner," started Keith. "We can always just get you some sweatpants and you can wear that instead of a dress. Ow!" he exclaimed, pouting, after she had promptly slapped him on the arm with the rag she was using to dry the dishes. "That hurt," he pouted, rubbing his arm, which was a little red.

"Sorry," said Natalie sheepishly, even though she didn't look all that sorry.

Once the dishes were put away, Trish brought out the dessert, a fancy chocolate cake. While Trish was cutting it, Robbie poured everyone a cup of coffee. It wasn't long until they all moved into the living room.

Natalie sat down next to Keith on the big comfy couch closet to the fireplace and everyone else found seats on the other couch, and the two recliners. "Keith, I forgot to say congratulations for being out of remission. How does it feel?" asked Brooke, once everyone had gotten comfortable.

Keith glanced over to her and replied, with a huge grin, "It's great. It's almost surreal in a way…"

"I bet it's the best feeling, though," replied Brooke.

He took a sip of his coffee before saying, "Oh, yeah, it's the best. It's just strange, because when I relapsed the first time I didn't think there was any way I was going to beat it—it's not that I didn't have hope, but you know the odds get lower and lower with every time you relapse." Keith glanced up, shocked to find everyone staring at him, incredibly interested in what he was saying. "So…yeah…" he finished.

"Wow," breathed Trish. "It's really like a miracle, isn't it?"

Natalie smiled at Trish, thinking the same exact thing. It really was a miracle that Keith was with them—with her; she never took the fact that she had him for granted.

And she never would.

"Yeah," nodded Keith. "It really is. You know, I just wish I knew who paid for it all—I mean, they basically saved my life. If they wouldn't have paid I-I wouldn't be here. I used to constantly wonder who paid for it. Still do, actually."

"And you never had any clues? Nothing?" asked Travis, glancing at Keith expectantly.

Keith shrugged, and then took a bite of his cake. "I have no idea."

"Natalie," started Travis, "you don't have any idea either?"

Natalie choked on her coffee, surprised that he had addressed her. She hoped the expression that was gracing her face wasn't one of guilt. Clearing her throat she said, "No—nope. No idea." She let out a tiny nervous cough.

No one but Keith seemed to think anything of her reaction. At Keith's expression, however, she knew that he knew she suspected something. She felt herself blush as she stared at him, and just hoped that he didn't say anything, but by the way that he kept opening and closing his mouth, she knew he was trying to figure out the best way to ask her.

Natalie never felt more relieved to hear Brooke scream, "I GOT IT!" This seemed to take Keith's attention, and Natalie was sure that he wasn't going to bring up any questions dealing with who paid for his treatment until later. "Well, doesn't anyone want to know what I figured out?"

"What?" asked Robbie.

"Keith's nickname!" She gave them all a huge, proud grin.

"Really?" asked Trish. "What is it?"

"Yeah," started Keith, confident he didn't need to worry about anything she came up with, "what is it?"

"You're going to _love_ it," she said.

"The suspense is killing me," muttered Keith sarcastically.

"So, what is it?" asked Natalie.

"Bubba!"

"Bubba?" repeated Keith. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, it's perfect. And, also, the only name I could come up with. I think it suits you."

"I don't know if that's a good one…"

"That's the point, Bubba. You're supposed to hate it, Bubba. Hey, Bubba?" she asked, a little too excited over his new nickname.

"What?" he moaned.

"Oh, nothing," she said in a sing-song voice. "Just trying your new name out…"

Keith groaned.

* * *

Keith and Natalie didn't leave the party till close to midnight. On the ride back to Keith's, he was quiet. Natalie suspected that he was thinking about the conversation that they had had earlier, regarding who had paid for his treatment. As much as she wished she could deny that she had no idea—she knew he knew well her well enough to not have seen that flicker of guilt cross her face.

He was going to want to talk about it, so she took her time getting ready for bed, trying to think of the best way to tell him. She couldn't keep it a secret her whole life, so why not tell him now?

When she was done washing her face and changing into her pajamas, she got into bed. Once she had the covers pulled over her, and was facing Keith she smiled at him before he said, in a soft voice, "Partner, we need to talk."

"About what?" she asked, hoping to sound innocent enough that maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't bring it up. Honestly, she wasn't sure exactly why she was so worried about telling him.

He sighed as he brought his hand to gently run his fingers through her hair. "You know."

"Yeah-yeah," she finally said. "I know." The way he was looking at her so desperately, she couldn't _not_ tell him.

"So, do you have any idea who paid for my treatment?" he asked, as he stopped running his fingers through her hair and stared at her intently.

Running her fingers up and down her arm, she cleared her throat and said, "Keith, I _know_ who paid for your treatment."

His eyes widened. "You do?"

She gave him a soft smile, nodding. "Yeah…"

"For how long? Why didn't you tell me?" She was glad that his voice didn't seem to hold any anger.

"I've known since you were _getting_ treatment."

Keith's eyes got wider. "Really? So who is it? Who paid?" he impatiently asked.

Natalie took a deep breath and said, "My parents. They paid."

"W-what?" he breathed, sitting up in bed. She sat up too. "Your parents?" he asked, looking at her. "They _paid _for my treatment? For all of those medical bills?" He looked incredibly shocked.

"Yeah, they did," she nodded.

"Are you sure?" he asked, his eyes were searching her face, as if trying to tell if she was telling him the truth.

"I'm positive. I've talked to them about it."

"Really?" he asked, sounding a tad bit confused. "Why did they tell you and not me? Why did they not want me to know?"

"They never really told me, Keith. I found out. I'm pretty sure they probably never would have said anything if I wouldn't have found out and said something."

"Why didn't you tell me, though? Once you found out?"

Natalie gave a small laugh, as she _really_ thought about why she didn't tell him. "Well, it was purely for selfish reasons. At first, I didn't want to tell you because I was afraid that you would stop the treatment because you'd feel too guilty. And to me, _nothing_ was more important than you getting that treatment. And, plus, there was a reason my parents didn't tell me, and I think they probably didn't want you to know—they probably felt that you would feel bad and guilty as well."

"You're probably right," said Keith. "If I would have known…I probably would have wanted to stop the treatment. I just—I can't believe…." His voice cracked—just a tiny bit, but it did. She grabbed his hand and gently began rubbing her thumb across the back of it. "Why didn't you tell me after I was done with the chemo?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Honestly, I thought about it, but every time I went to tell you I kept coming up with reasons not to—you'd get mad, you'd be upset...I thought maybe it would have been too much for you to handle at the time. Then time just kept on passing and I felt it would be strange to bring it up. I kept thinking I should tell you, but I just never did…then it got to a point where it seemed like I had waited too long to say anything without it being really weird."

"Wow," breathed Keith. "All those nights I laid awake, while I was getting treatment, wondering who was paying, and I was staying in their house." He looked incredibly shocked at the news he had just been told, but grateful at the same time.

"You're not mad at me, are you?" asked Natalie after a few minutes of silence. "For never telling you?"

"No! No, not at all. I'm just…I'm so grateful for everything your parents have done for me. They've just…they gave—they have _given_ me the chance to live. To really _live_. I could never thank them enough."

"I know what you mean," said Natalie. "I've thanked them countless times, and I don't feel like I've done it enough."

"Thanks for telling me, partner," he said, and he lied back down, resting on his side. She followed suit, and scooted close to him—so close their foreheads were touching.

They lied there, staring in to each other's eyes for a while, and when Natalie saw his eyes flutter closed she suddenly whispered, "Keith."

"What?" he mumbled, almost asleep.

"Just please don't tell my parents I told you, all right? They-they probably have a reason for never mentioning it…"

"Okay," he mumbled. "I won't say anything…" His eyes closed again, and his breathing began to get deep. Sometimes she envied how quickly he could fall asleep.

Snuggling up closer to him, she kissed him on the cheek before saying, "Thanks."

* * *

The next two months passed by quickly, and once it turned February Natalie was sent into full panic mode. She had yet to plan much of her wedding, with being busy with the holidays. The only thing she had managed to do was stop by a few wedding boutiques to try on some dresses; she had yet to find one that was perfect. She was trying to remain calm, but the fact was her wedding was in less than six months, as she and Keith had decided on the date.

June 22nd.

Not only was she busy planning her wedding, but she was also busy with her new job—a copyeditor for an independent writing magazine. The job was actually really exciting, and she enjoyed editing articles for the magazine, which were actually really interesting—at least her job wasn't dull. She did however miss working at Hooked on Books, but she knew she couldn't work there her whole life. She still stopped by occasionally to drink coffee and flip through some wedding dress magazines, getting Melanie's, April, and Dawn's opinion.

Feeling stressed and nervous about getting behind on planning her wedding, Natalie finally decided that she needed to be more proactive and start searching for the perfect dress, which is why she, her mom, Brooke (her Maid of Honor) and all her bridesmaids (April, Dawn, Trish) were going out with her today.

To go wedding dress shopping.

She wanted as many friends to come, so she could get as many opinions as possible. Having spent countless hours searching on their website, Natalie had already selected the top dresses she wanted to try. So, when they arrived at David's Bridal, they already had her top dresses ready for her to try on.

However, after two hours, and trying on every dress she could possibly find, Natalie felt like she was going to cry. They hadn't found anything; she had even taken a break, and helped everyone find their bridesmaid dresses. She hadn't been too picky on what she wanted the dresses to look like, only that they be as close as they could to dark purple.

After some more searching, Trish, Brooke, April, and Dawn all selected a short charmeuse satin dress that was strapless and rested just above the knees. It even had pockets which they all seemed to love. Natalie thought they were perfect since the wedding was going to be in June and it would be hot.

However, even after getting the bridesmaid dresses and starting with a new hope, she still found _nothing_. Slumping into a chair, she said, "I'm never going to find a dress, nothing looks good on me."

"Oh, please," said Brooke, trying to sooth her. "Those dresses are just made wrong." This comment made Natalie laugh. "What?" asked Brooke.

"You sound like Keith. Remember that time he tried on those pants inside out and kept telling me they were made wrong?"

"He did that?" asked Caroline, who had come back from looking for more wedding dresses for Natalie.

"Yeah," said Natalie, feeling a tad bit better. "You're not surprised, are you?"

"No, not at all. I can only imagine what he did, to try and get out of shopping." She stopped and laughed. "Now," she started again. "Don't worry about the dress. I'm sure there is a dress just for _you_ in this store. Everyone but Natalie follow me."

"Where're you going?" asked Natalie, standing up.

"We are going to find you the perfect dress," said Caroline smiling.

"Yup," said Dawn. "We're going to find you a dress that's gonna make Keith not wanna wait to get you into the bedroom…" she stopped once she saw Caroline's look. "You know, only so they can have a _deep_ conversation."

"I'm sure," smiled Caroline.

Natalie laughed, as they all disappeared among the dresses. Fifteen minutes later, April came running back saying, "We found a dress for you. It's perfect."

"Really?" asked Natalie, a grin reaching her eyes.

Trish arrived, carrying the dress, a few seconds behind April. "Try it on," she said handing it to Natalie.

Having a little more hope than she wished she did, Natalie went into the dressing room, Caroline followed behind her to help her. When she slid the dress on, before it was even zipped she knew.

It was the one.

The dress was strapless and had a satin bodice with gorgeous beaded embroidery. It came down in a ball gown skirt with a train that extended about four feet from the waist.

"It's perfect," she breathed. It was simply amazing. She felt so beautiful and so stunning in it—the exact feelings she was certain a bride should feel. When she turned around and saw tears in her mother's eyes, she knew she thought the same.

Smiling at her mom, she opened the dressing room door and as soon as she stepped out, she heard a gasp all around. "Oh my god, Natalie. This _is_ the dress. It's perfect," said Dawn.

"Keith is going to have a heart attack when he sees you in that," said April, her mouth hanging open.

"You like it?" she asked nervously, glancing down.

"Like it?" asked April, glancing to everyone. "We love it."

"This is it, then," she said. "This is _the one_."

* * *

February turned into March, and Natalie felt quite accomplished with all of the wedding planning she had gotten done. The weekend had arrived, and Natalie was on her way to Keith's, since they were going to get some wedding stuff done today. She arrived at Keith's apartment just as it turned seven in the morning. When she walked in, however, she saw no signs of him. She had expected him to be sitting on the kitchen table, drinking coffee and trying to stay awake.

But he wasn't.

Natalie knew exactly where he was. She made his way into his room, and there he was, sprawled out on his stomach, taking up the whole bed, his covers strewn on the floor.

She walked over to the side of the bed he was facing. "Keith," she said. "Wake up."

No movement.

"Keith!" she screamed.

This time he moaned and grabbed an extra pillow and covered his head with it before moaning, "Go away. 'M tired." At this, she grabbed his arm and pulled, trying to pull him out of bed, but she wasn't strong enough.

"Wake up!"she said. He didn't budge. "Fine, you asked for it!" she said, as she left his room and walked into the kitchen. She filled the biggest glass Keith had with ice cold water, then made her way back over to him.

Standing where just had been previously, she bit her lip hard to stop from laughing and quickly grabbed the pillow that was covering him, threw it to the floor, and then poured the cup of ice water on his head.

He sprang up sputtering. "What the hell was that for?"

"You are not ready," she explained, as he shook his head to get rid of the excess water. Once he was satisfied, he grabbed his comforter from the floor and covered himself with it. "Get up!" she said.

"I'm sick," he said, and then promptly let out a very fake cough.

She grabbed the comforter and tore it off of him. "You. Are. Not. Sick. There is no way you are getting out of this; I don't care how you feel. You've got ten minutes," she said before promptly stomping out of the room.

Natalie was quite pleased when she heard his shower turn on not two minutes later. And exactly ten minutes later, he came walking out wearing a pair of loose fitting pants, and a hoodie, while yawing. Maybe she should have let him sleep in a little more. He did look a bit tired. "Ready," he mumbled.

"Morning," she said, as she got up from kitchen table. "You wanna go to Starbucks and get coffee and muffins before we start?" she asked, as she walked over to him, and wrapped her arms around him and hugged him—tight.

At this, he perked up. "Definitely." She pulled away, and he went and grabbed his wallet and keys. "So, what exactly do we have to do today?"

"We have the cake tasting at eight, and then we have to go do our registry for Target. I think that's enough for one day. What do you think? I guess we could also—"

"Partner," said Keith. "That is enough. I mean, are you crazy? It's only March; we have a few months to do all of these things."

Natalie glared at him, as she put the list she was going over back into her purse. "I am not crazy. These things have to be done a few months in advanced," she stated, as she closed the apartment door behind them. As they were walking down the stairs she also added, "I think we've had this conversation...oh, a bazillion times. Don't you want the wedding to be perfect?"

"Of course, partner. But to me, as long as you're the woman I'm marrying the wedding _will_ be perfect."

They stopped just by his truck, and she looked up at him. "You are," she started, standing on her tip-toes and gave him a light kiss on the cheeks, before finishing, "the sweetest."

A blush rose on his cheek, and a grin graced his face as he whispered, "Partner," before walking away and getting into his truck.

* * *

Keith seemed to be much more excited for the cake tasting once he had got his coffee, and it had woke him up. They arrived at the bakery, which was only a half hour away and were directed into a small room. They waited patiently for someone to bring out their cakes to taste.

Five minutes later, a cheerful lady, Marie, walked in their room, carrying two trays filled with tiny square shaped cakes. She set them down in front of them and said, "All right, let's get started." She sat down in the chair in front of them and then promptly explained what flavor each sliver of cake was. Once she was done, she caught her breath before she said, "Now, I'll leave you guys to it. I'll be back in a half hour or so—enjoy!"

Once Marie had left the room, Keith grabbed his fork and was about to dig in to the piece of cake closest to him, but Natalie grabbed his wrist and gently stopped him. "Keith, the point of this is to _taste_ the cake—not eat all of it in less than thirty seconds."

He furrowed his brows. "You expect me to look at all this cake and spend the time tasting it?"

"Good grief. You're hopeless," said Natalie, before she started with the first slice, a vanilla cake, with a raspberry center and cream cheese frosting. "This is really good, but—"

"—it's not chocolate," he finished.

"Exactly," smiled Natalie, before she took a bit of chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. She tried to ignore how quickly Keith was devouring the cakes. To her, it didn't seem like he was tasting the cake, he was eating them so quickly. It wouldn't be her fault if they got a cake he didn't like.

By the time they had finished tasting the cakes (Keith had been done way before Natalie), she didn't think she could eat another bite—and didn't really need to, as she had found the perfect cake. She wanted to know which Keith's favorite was, but he had decided he wanted to keep this bit of information to himself, until he told Marie.

Still trying to convince him to tell her, she argued, "Keith, this really defeats the purpose of cake tasting if we can't decide on a flavor we both want, because you won't tell me."

"Don't worry; I'm sure we want the same one," was all he responded.

Natalie was about to give him a snarky reply, but Marie entered and she held her tongue. "So, what's the winner?" she asked expectantly, once she sat down and noticed the mostly empty plates.

Natalie turned to Keith and gave him a look that she hoped meant 'don't you dare', but he just gave her a grin, turned to Marie, and with a straight face said, "Well, we think that the wheatgrass would benefit our guests, since it does a body good."

Natalie's mouth gaped open, and she could tell Marie was quite surprised as well. "Well, if that's what you want—"

Natalie jumped in and said, "Absolutely not. He's just playing around. I liked the chocolate cake with the raspberry filling and chocolate frosting," she said. She then turned towards Keith. "What cake did you _really_ like?"

"Honestly?" she nodded. Did she want him to lie? Geez. "The same one you did."

Natalie smiled. "Well, then it's perfect."

Marie clasped her hands together, and said, "Well, let's choose the design, then!"

"Actually," said Natalie. "I already have a picture of the cake I was thinking you could make. Let me get it." She dug into her purse and a few seconds later, handed Marie a piece of paper with the picture of what she hoped the wedding cake would look like. "I hope it makes sense," she stated, as Marie's eyes trailed over the paper.

"This is a beautiful picture. I think I can definitely make this. Is that the infinity symbol?" she asked, pointing to the picture.

"Yeah," said Natalie, nodding her head. "It's the theme of our wedding and it's kind of special to us, so we'd really like that on there."

"Well," smiled Marie. "Don't worry; I will make you guys a cake you'll love."

"I was wondering," said Keith, "what kind of wedding toppers do you have?"

"We have all different kinds," she said, grabbing one of the albums at her feet and opening it up. She placed it in front of Keith."What were you thinking?" she asked.

Smirking, Keith quickly turned a few pages of the book until he suddenly stopped and said, "That one," he pointed to a picture where the bride and groom were in a car, waving. "But I was wondering—is there any way you could make this a yellow truck?"

Marie looked thoughtful for a few seconds, and then suddenly a smile graced her face and she said, "Absolutely. I've got the perfect idea."

* * *

An hour later, after they had finished talking to Marie about the specifics of their cake, they drove straight to Target where they were going to do their registry. Natalie had already gone to Bed Bath & Beyond with Brooke and signed up for a registry, but wanted to take Keith with her to at least one.

However, by the time they parked in front of Target, Natalie wasn't sure how much Keith was actually going to help; he kept complaining that he was tired, thirsty, and hungry. "How can you be hungry?" she asked. "You had a muffin at Starbucks, and all that cake!"

"But I am," he moaned. "I don't wanna go shopping."

"It's not shopping, technically, and it won't take long as long as you don't complain."

"Fine," he said. Natalie smiled at him, and unbuckled her seatbelt.

Once they walked into Target, Natalie dragged Keith over to customer service and signed up for their registry, before they were handed two scanners, used to mark the items.

Keith's sluggishness and boredom completely disappeared once he was holding onto one of the scanners. "This is going to be fun!" he said, eyes sparkling with mischievousness.

Natalie grabbed his arm to stop him. "Keith," she started seriously. He narrowed his eyes at her. "We need to get things that we _need_, you understand?"

"Yup!" he stated, easily pulling her grip away from him.

"We'll start in the kitchen area, all right?"

He let out a huge sigh, looking a bit confused. "Kitchen area? We don't need anything from the kitchen area."

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Yes, Keith, we do."

"My stuff is perfectly fine," he stated.

"You mean all your chipped dishes? The ones that don't even match?"

"Yup," he said, nodding. "They do their job— and a great one at that. Why do dishes need to be pretty? All we do is put food on them. It's not like we stare at them and comment on how pretty they are. What? Do you want the food to have something pretty to—"

"Oh, brother," said Natalie, cutting him off. She grabbed his wrist tightly and pulled him towards the kitchen area. He was _so_ hopeless. "For that comment, we're going to get really, really girly ones. With flowers and everything."

"Partner," he said, trying to release her grip on his wrist. "Please, no. Can't we compromise?"

She didn't reply and took an immediate right into the aisle that had plates, so quickly that Keith stumbled into her. She eyed the various dishes, and turned to Keith. "Yes, we can compromise. As long as you stay serious about this. Now, which ones do you like?" she asked.

It seemed like Keith was actually considering the various dishes, but then a smirk crossed his face, and Natalie felt herself get a bit wary. "What if we got one of each design? So, like all the plates with this set," he stated, pointing to some plain black plates, "and the bowls with this set," he added, pointing to some ugly looking red bowls. He then looked up at her, looking extremely proud at his idea.

"Absolutely not," she said, causing his grin to falter. "Keith, it all has to match!"

He huffed loudly. "Why? It would be funny! Just think when we have guests over, they would be entertained at our crazy dish collection."

"We are never going to have guests over until we do something about the condition of your place!"

"Excuse me?" said Keith, giving a fake look of hurt. "What is wrong with my place?"

"It's boring, it has no design, and it's just ugh!" she said, throwing up her arms.

"You need to stop being so OCD about all of this!" he replied, before he aimed the scanner at a horribly ugly chinaware set that looked to be almost puke green in color.

"Don't!" screamed Natalie, grabbing his arm which was holding the scanner and aiming it at the floor.

"What?" said Keith, trying to look serious, but Natalie could hear the laugh in his words.

"Those are ugly!"

"Exactly," said Keith.

"All right," said Natalie, "if you keep doing that I'm going to take the scanner away."

Keith pouted. "No, don't, it's fun."

"Well, then _behave_."

"I will, partner," said Keith softly. "Now, which dishware set do you like best?"

At Keith's question, Natalie walked up and down the aisle a few times, before she stopped in front of a dishware set that kept catching her eye, and she knew it was the one— they were black and white and had oriental designs on them. "These," she said, pointing her finger at them. "What do you think?" she asked, turning to Keith.

"They're prefect, partner." He glanced at his scanned hopefully and then asked, "Can I?"

"Yes," she sighed, as she watched Keith excitedly scan the dishware with his new favorite toy.

After Keith scanned the dishware, Natalie dragged him over to the rest of the kitchen supplies. They found some simple glassware, a blender, coffee pot, placemats, knife set, mixing bowls, pots and pans—everything Natalie could think of that they might need, as she knew Keith was seriously lacking in kitchen supplies.

"Where to next?" asked Keith excitedly, ready to use the scanner again.

"Well, we need some furniture for the living room. What do you think?"

He didn't look too excited at that but said, "Okay."

"I think we need some new bedroom furniture, too…" she said, seductively running her fingers down his arm, causing goosebumps to appear.

"Hmm," said Keith, leaning his forehead against hers. "I think that's a great idea." He then looked a bit more interested once they made their way to the furniture area. There weren't many bedroom sets to choose from, but she saw a set catch Keith's eye. "This one's nice," he said, pointing to a black headboard and footboard with a matching dresser and nightstands.

"Yeah," agreed Natalie. It was a nice set and would match Keith's apartment. Grinning, Keith used the scanner and clicked at the headboard, bed stand, nightstands, and dresser."Perfect," she added once he was done.

Afterwards, Natalie led Keith over to the bedding, so they could choose which comforter would match the set. They ended up choosing a simple dark red comforter, with black sheets. "Great," said Keith after scanning the comforter and sheets. "Are we done?" he asked.

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Almost. I wanted to see if they had any nice furniture for the living room."

"What? Why?" asked Keith. "I have furniture in the living room," he stated.

"Yes, you do," said Natalie, as she made her way over to some sofas. "But it's ugly. And I think the futon you use as a couch has had much better days. I think it's broke."

"You wanna know how my futon broke?" asked Keith, raising his eyebrows.

Natalie felt a blush rise on her cheeks because she knew _exactly how_ it had broke; she glanced away from the furniture and to him said, "Not particularly."

"Let me remind you. I think it was oh, I don't know, not even six months ago, that _someone _decided they wanted my sexy manly body right in the middle of the movie—"

"Keith!" said Natalie, slapping her hand over his mouth. "Not in public!"

He laughed against her hand, gently pulling her hand away. "You know, you were really aggressive that night—you _did_ break the futon. I kind of liked it. No, I really really liked it. Actually, I loved it."

"I broke it?" she hissed. "I think you were involved too, mister."

"Yes, I was," said Keith, "and it was great."

"Okay," started Natalie, "I can't concentrate with you around. You go somewhere else while I decide what to replace that futon that _we_ broke, all right?"

"Great," said Keith. "I'll just before over there," he said pointing near the music.

"All right," said Natalie. She was just glad to be able to focus on getting what they needed on the registry, without him annoying her.

It wasn't until Natalie found a sofa, a kitchen table, and nice entertainment center that she realized that she hadn't taken Keith's scanner away from him. Groaning, she didn't even want to imagine what items he was scanning without her knowledge.

She quickened her pace into a fast walk, glancing everywhere for him. He wasn't in the music area like he said he was going to be, nor was he in the magazine section. Getting more worried by the second as to what Keith could be getting into, she began to look more frantically for him.

She was just about to go to the front of the store and see if she could find him there, when she spotted him. "Keith!" she hissed, as she quickly walked over to him. "What are you doing!?" He didn't respond and when she stood near him, she felt her face heat with embarrassment. He was scanning over and over again a box of condoms. "Stop it, right now," she said, trying to grab the scanner from him, but he was too fast and quickly held it above his head.

"Partner," he said, as he moved away from her, "let me rephrase what you said earlier, 'We need to get things we need' and if I'm not mistaken, we _need _those," he said, pointing to the huge box of condoms. "I even got that KY Jelly stuff you like to—"

"You are so dead," said Natalie in a low voice. "So so dead."

"What? You don't like the KY stuff anymore?"

"Keith, do you _realize_ that this list is going to be available to all our friends and family?"

"Yup," he said. "Hopefully, we'll get lots and lots of those boxes," he said, indicating towards the condoms. "I think I scanned it at least fifty times, so they'll get the point." He grinned.

"We don't need condoms!" said Natalie, so loudly that an old lady walking by gave her a strange look, causing her to blush, if possible, deeper.

"Oh, really?" said Keith, as he suddenly started walking down the aisle. Natalie had to practically chase after him he was walking so fast. He ended up in the baby clothes section and began scanning madly away at baby clothes.

"Keith!" she screamed. "Stop it!" She went to grab the scanner from him as he started marking a yellow duckie robe, but he was too fast.

"If we don't need condoms," he said, scanning another item, "then, we'll need all this baby stuff, because with the way we go at it—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Natalie did the last thing she could think of and threw herself at him. Her jump was forceful and unexpected enough, that it caused Keith to fall over and onto the floor. Straddling him, she grabbed his arms and pinned them above his head. Then, she grabbed the scanner from him and said. "Never again will you hold one of these in your hands."

"But, partner," he pouted, struggling to get out of her grip.

"Shut up," she said, getting off of him. "You are too old to be acting like this!" She glanced around glad that no one had seen that little tiff they had just had. Satisfied that no one had seen them, she glared at Keith who was getting to his feet, eyeing her nervously. She didn't say anything, only gave him a deeper glare before stomping away. She was glad she had scanned everything they needed, 'cause they were _leaving_.

Keith kept his distance and followed a few feet behind her; she could tell he was a bit wary about what she was going to do to him once they left the store. She handed the scanners back to the lady at customer service, making sure not to look her in the eyes. She was just glad she'd be able to edit her registry before notifying her family about it.

She didn't speak to Keith until they were both in his truck. Glaring at him, all she said was, "You're going to pay."

He gulped.

* * *

That night, after Natalie had come home from Keith's place she called Brooke, explaining what had happened at Target. "He seriously marked condoms? And baby clothes?" laughed Brooke.

"Yes! And KY jelly! Can you believe it?"

"Actually, with Keith, yes, I can," admitted Brooke. "I mean, did you really think he was going to act serious? Think about it. Keith inside a store is bad enough—there's already a list a mile long of things that boy could get into, but adding a scanner on top of it…well… how do I put this lightly? You got _yourself _into this mess."

Natalie leaned up against her headboard. "Ugh, I knew it was a mistake! I knew beforehand I shouldn't have let him go…"

"So what's your plan to get back?"

Natalie smiled. "Are you busy right now?"

"Nope."

"Wanna come do something with me? It won't take long." A mischievous smirk graced her face.

"Do I even want to ask what you have up your sleeve?"

"Oh, you'll see let's just say it involves a certain yellow truck…"

"Oh, no," said Brooke. "I have totally got to take part in this."

"Be there in fifteen."

Fifteen minutes later, Natalie pulled up to Brooke's house. She didn't even have to get out of her car as Brooke was already waiting outside for her.

"Okay, so what's the plan?" asked Brooke, excitedly, as she got in.

Natalie pointed to the bag at Brooke's feet. "Look in the bag."

Brooke grabbed the Wal-Mart bag and rested it on her lap. As soon as she opened it up and glanced at the contents her eyes got wide. "Oh no, you're going to spray paint his truck? His precious Honeybun?"

"Yup."

"And how long did it take you to find these?" she asked, indicating to the half a dozen spray paints cans ranging colors from purple to green.

"Not long. I got them at Wal-Mart…I _personally_ feel that Honeybun needs a certain girly makeover. You know hearts and flowers…What do you think? It's just paint for the windows. It's nothing permanent." She glanced at Brooke when she stopped at a red light.

"He's going to kill you," stated Brooke bluntly. "Are you sure you want to get involved in this mini war? Anything that has to do with his truck…this could get ugly. And plus, aren't you taking this a little overboard? I mean, you know you can just delete the condoms and stuff before you let your relatives know about the registry."

"I know, but this will show him not to mess with me. This is like a lesson."

"This could get interesting…"

"Don't worry," said Natalie. "In the end, we'll both be happy."

"You sure about that?" Natalie nodded. "Don't you think he knows that you can just go onto Target's website and delete everything?"

Natalie laughed. "Yeah, right. The thought will never occur to him. Trust me. He has no idea how this stuff works."

"I really hope you know what you're getting yourself into…"

"Oh, I do," smiled Natalie. "I do."

They spent the rest of the drive on the way to Keith's apartment talking about how they were going to decorate his truck, so once they parked, they both new exactly what their jobs were. They wanted to do it quickly and quietly, as they didn't want Keith to hear or see them. Natalie didn't think it was very likely as it was late, and he was probably already asleep since he had work early the next morning.

Brooke grabbed a few colors of spray paint for herself before handing the bag over to Natalie. Quietly, they set to work. Natalie's job was to paint extremely girly flowers on the side windows while Brooke set to paint red and pink hearts and the outer parts of front and back windshields of Keith's truck.

An hour later, Brooke and Natalie stepped away from the truck with amused and proud expressions. "Is he going to freak or what," said Brooke, quietly giggling.

"Yup," agreed Natalie. "Now, for the finally touches." She grabbed the bag that was sitting next to the truck and grabbed out an antenna topper that was shaped as a flower and put it on. Then, she took the two huge bags of confetti shaped as hearts and handed one over to Brooke.

Brooke eyed the bag in the dark, and once she realized what it was she said, "No way. He's never going to be able to get all of these out."

"I know," said Natalie coyly. "You toss those around the bed of his truck and I'll toss these inside his car."

"Isn't it locked?"

"'Course," said Natalie and with a smile she pulled out of her pocket a seat of his keys. "These are his spare set he gave me."

Brooke laughed as she quietly got into the bed of the truck and began tossing the pink and red glitter in random places. Natalie did the same inside, and when completed, she felt herself feel a bit guilty, since really, fixing the registry was pretty easy.

But, this was really too much fun.

And, plus, she _was_ feeling a bit vindictive.

"Done," said Natalie.

"I can't wait to hear how he reacts," said Brooke as she and Natalie got back into their car.

"Oh, I'll be getting an extremely frantic call tomorrow morning. Trust me."

* * *

The next morning, at close to six, Natalie's cell phone rang. Half asleep, but with a smirk, she grabbed her phone and clicked ignore, snuggling further under her covers; however, not ten seconds later, her phone went off again, and she did the same thing. She let Keith call her back another five times, before she felt like she had tortured him enough before she answered in a groggy voice, "What?"

"What the _hell _did you do!?" he screamed, seeming strangely out of breath for so early in the morning.

"What are you talking about?" she asked innocently.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about! You have completely defiled my truck!"

"Defiled?"

"Messed up! D-defiled! Whatever!" he sputtered. "You _need_ to come over and get these _stupid_ hearts and _stupid_ flowers off right now. I have to be to work in fifteen minutes and I will _not_ drive to work in with my truck looking like this. I will never hear the end of it from guys at work."

"No."

"Why are you doing this? Is this some kind of fucked up—wait a minute," he suddenly stopped. "Oh, shit," he mumbled a few seconds later.

"What?" said Natalie, biting her lip hard to keep herself from laughing.

"This is because of the registry, isn't it?"

"Keith, what makes you think _I_ did this?" she said, trying to sound extra innocent.

"Because you are the only person who has a key!"

"Oh, right." She didn't really care if he knew it was her. Actually, she wanted him to know it was _her _who did it. "Yes, this is because of the registry." She didn't even bother to cover up her laugh.

"This is no laughing matter," he hissed. "Come fix it NOW."

"No."

"Partner," he growled.

"Maybe you should have thought about how embarrassing it is for my whole family to see my registry list full of condoms, KY jelly, and baby clothes before you decided to scan them all in…"

"Hey, my family will see that, too!"

"Like you care," she fought back.

"I'll go fix the registry, I promise. After work. Just please, pick me up so I don't have to drive."

"Can't," she supplied.

"Why not?" he huffed, seeing quite upset. "Please, I realize what I did was a mistake, and I'll fix it, but please—"

"Because I am busy replying to emails!"

"Emails? About what? From who?"

"Let's see…emails from pretty much my whole family asking me why I have condoms on my list and how far along I am!"

Okay, she was lying. Big deal.

"I'm sorry, partner. Tell them it was me and that I'll fix it."

"Oh, that's not necessary."

"Why not?"

"I just said if they to get the box of condoms, the size was wrong. I told them they needed to get extra small, not large."

"YOU SAID WHAT?"

Natalie had to pull her cell phone away from her ear at the loudness of Keith's voice. Slowly, she said, "You heard me. Have a nice day!" she said, then hanging up.

Okay, so maybe she felt a little bad that she had lied. And probably damaged his pride a bit. Big deal.

He deserved it.

* * *

It was nearing five that night, and Natalie had yet to hear from Keith. He hadn't even called her during her lunch hour, and that's when she knew she had gone a _bit_ too far. So she decided that she would do something nice for him, and then they could both make up and forget about all of this.

She decided to make him dinner.

She arrived at Keith's place at five that night, right after she got off work, hoping she could get a good start on dinner. She wasn't the best cook (or even a good one), but she was going to try and make one of his favorite meals.

Gnocchi.

Just as she had all of the gnocchi made, she heard his key in the door. Keith was home. She wasn't sure what to expect when he saw her, but she definitely wasn't expecting what happened next.

"You _are_ dead!" he yelled, eyes blazing. She would have run, if she wouldn't have been stuck in the tiny kitchen.

She cowered in a corner, glancing at Keith's blazing green eyes. "I spent all day freaking out, feeling all guilty about what I did, so guess what I did during my lunch break?"

"What?" she asked timidly.

"I went to Target."

"Oh."

"And you know what they told me?"

"I have no idea…"

"They told me that the registry wasn't even online and that you were given a password so you could add and delete items. And I'm assuming that you knew about this."

"Oh, really…"

Her calm attitude seemed to infuriate him more and he suddenly shouted, "You defiled my truck! And-and my pride!" A few seconds later he added, for affect, "For no reason."

"Did not!" She hadn't done those things for no reason; she had done it to teach him a lesson.

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did _not_!"

This was getting out of hand; she didn't want to be standing in the kitchen, fighting over something that had gone way out of control.

They needed to be mature about this.

So, she placed her hand in the bag of flour, grabbed a handful, and threw it at him.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment, as Keith shook his head to get the excess floor out of his hair, glaring at her. Then, he pounced, grabbing a handful of flour and tossing it at her, most of it falling in her hair.

"You didn't," she screamed.

"Did," he said, before he suddenly ran out of the kitchen, bag of flour in hand.

She chased after him, into the living room, and got close enough to grab the back of his shirt. She yanked on it, causing him to stumble and fall onto to the floor. Still gripping his shirt, she fell with him onto the floor, landing on top of him; he let out a low groan as all of his air left him.

Taking his moment of weakness, as he was trying to breathe properly again, she grabbed the bag of flour, or what was left in the bag, as most of the floor was now on the floor, and threw another handful of it in his face. She didn't realize that at that exact moment he was about to say something, so he got a mouthful of flour. This caused him to start coughing.

And a lot.

"Keith?" she asked after a few seconds of him still coughing. "Keith!" she said. Frantic, she got off of him, hoping it'd help. Shaking, she watched as Keith moved onto his side, still coughing. He was going to die, from coughing on _flour_ that _she _had thrown at him. She could just see it now. "Do you need some water? Ice cream?" What does someone need when coughing on flour?

She was too busy worrying over to him notice that he had grabbed a handful of flour that was on the floor, until she felt him grab the collar of her shirt, and dump the huge handful down her shirt; she could feel the flour getting stuck into her bra. "You little—little ugh!" she said, standing up and shaking the flour out of her shirt.

He started laughing, uncontrollably on the floor. "Got ya," he said between laughs.

"This. Is. Not. Funny." She glared at him. "I thought I killed you!" When she finished pouring all of the flour out of her shirt and onto the floor she said to him, arms crossed over her chest. "We need to be mature about this."

"Mature? We?" he laughed. "_I_ wasn't the one who started the flour fight."

She narrowed her eyes at him, ready to start yelling at him again, but then something in her changed. She saw him, leaning casually on the floor, flour all over him, and she didn't want to fight with him anymore.

She wanted him. Wanted to do dirty, dirty things to him. And now.

She wanted to stop this stupid fight, kiss him senselessly and…"What?" he asked, looking a bit worried. "A-are you planning something?"

"No," she breathed. "I've decided. I don't want to fight anymore." She crawled over to him and gave him a big, needy kiss on his lips. And it was perfect, even if he did taste a bit like flour.

His reaction wasn't all what she had hoped for; he pulled away from the kiss and said, "Do you think you can tempt me with sex after everything that you did? You think I'll forgive you that easily?" He honestly didn't look too shocked at this. They _had _been dating for six years.

"Keith," she said, running her tongue across his bottom lip, as she slowly ran her hand down the front of his jeans, causing him to let out a low moan. She felt him get immediately hard at her touch. "I'm sorry," she breathed, kissing him again. "God, I want you," she moaned as he moved his hand underneath the front of her jeans.

She stopped running her hand down the front of his jeans to unbuttoned them, before she resumed what she had been doing before. The change in contact seemed to affect Keith greatly, as his moans became more frequent. She smirked against his lips and what just her touch could do to him. "Do you forgive me?" she asked, pulling away to look at him. His eyes were closed.

When he didn't answer, she stopped her activities, ready to ask again, but he muttered his voice low, "Don't stop."

She started up again, and he thrust his hips forward as soon as she did. "You do forgive me, right?" she asked.

His only reply was a low, deep moan, which Natalie happily took as a _yes_.

* * *

The next few months passed by quickly, with Natalie working and getting all the final touches done for the wedding. Everything was pretty much done, so now she only had one thing left to partake in.

Her bachelorette party.

Natalie and Keith had decided to hold their parties on the same night. She had no idea what Keith had was doing, and was a little nervous since Zach was the one planning it. Honestly, she was fine with anything that they did as long as it didn't involve naked women. Or half naked women.

She was just finishing curling her hair when Brooke slammed open her bedroom door, and following behind her was Trish, April, and Dawn. "Hey," she said, curling her last section of hair before turning around, and when she did, her mouth gaped open.

"What are you girls wearing?" she asked, glancing at all her bridesmaids who were wearing pink identical shirts that said, 'Bachelorette Party!' with a Martini bottle next to the saying.

"What does it look like?" said Dawn, rolling her eyes. "Our bachelorette party shirts." She then, grabbed a bag she was holding and threw it at Natalie. "Put those on."

Natalie glanced at them in confusion. "I'm already dressed."

Brooke huffed, grabbed the bag from Natalie and started taking stuff out. "This is your bachelorette party—you're only going to have one, so don't you want to flaunt that you're going to be a bride?" she asked, as she proceeded to make Natalie take off the tank-top she was wearing and replaced it with a bright pink one that said, "Bride!"

Natalie glanced down at the tank-top and said, a smile smirk crossing her face, "I guess."

"Great, 'cause you're not done," said Brooke, and she proceeded to grab a small cheap tiara from the bag, and carefully placed it on Natalie's head. "Perfecto," she said, once she was certain she had the tiara on the perfect place.

"Great! Let's get back in the limo and drink more of that champagne," said April.

"You know," started Brooke, glancing at April and smirking, "you're going to be drunk before we even get to the restaurant; I think you should slow down."

April just chuckled. "Are you kidding? A night free with no kids—I'm drinkin' as much as I want!" She then left the room saying, "Better come or it'll be all gone."

Trish turned to Natalie. "We better hope not 'cause we got six bottles."

"Six bottles?" asked Natalie, checking herself in the mirror, before grabbing her purse and following her friends out of her room. "Isn't that a bit much?"

Dawn stopped suddenly on the stairs, causing all three of them to crash into her. "Natalie, I only have two words for you."

"And they are?" she asked.

"Bachelorette party."

Brooke then added, once they got into the huge black limo, and were pouring glasses of champagne, "Also, in case you don't know, you have to do whatever we say tonight."

"I do?" asked Natalie, after taking sip of her champagne.

"Yup," nodded Brooke. "Even if it means that you have to do a body shot off some random guy."

* * *

After constantly letting all her friends know that there was no way in hell she was going to do a body shot of any random guy, they had arrived at the restaurant and were taking their seats.

They had all decided to go to Old Chicago since they had great prices, and it was downtown, so they could go to clubs and party afterwards (well, at least according to April and Dawn).

Once their drinks had arrived (Natalie had gotten a Sunset Beach which was a combination of coconut rum, pineapple and cranberry juice, with a touch of blackberry brandy. Which was really really good), Trish dug something out of her purse, looked at Natalie and said, "All right, ready?"

"Ready for what?" she asked, taking another sip of her drink. She was _definitely _going to get another one.

"Your quiz!"

"My quiz?" asked Natalie, wondering what the hell Trish came up with.

"Yup, it's called, 'What Kind of Bride Are You?'"

"Can't wait," giggled Brooke, excitedly.

Natalie didn't look as excited as everyone else, feeling quite hesitant on what this quiz might contain.

Trish cleared her throat. "All right, questions one: Is your fantasy groom Leonardo Dicaprio, Will Smith, Zac Efron, or Brad Pitt."

"Um, Keith?"

Groaning was heard all around, and Dawn said, "Man, has she got it bad." Agreement was heard all around.

"Okay-okay, if I have to pick, I'd say Leonardo Dicaprio—back in his _Titanic _days, though."

"Yeah," said Brooke, a dreaming expression gracing her face, "Now, _that_ was nice."

"Okay…"spoke up Trish, when no one knew how to respond to that. "Question two: when you were younger you always dreamed of becoming a princess, a vet, a teacher, or a movie star?"

"Teacher," said Natalie without hesitation.

"I knew you'd pick that one!" said Trish, looking quite pleased with herself as she marked the quiz.

"That's so boring," said Brooke, "You really wanted to be a teacher? You never once hoped you were a princess?"

"Well, maybe…like the princesses in my books. But, I loved to read so I thought 'If I can be a teacher, I'll be able to read all the time!'"

"Strange, that one," said April.

"Yup," agreed Dawn. "So, have you gotten Keith to enjoy reading as much as you? I remember you telling us that you were going to get him to enjoy reading if it was the last thing you did."

Natalie took a sip of her drink. "Hell no. He still thinks it's torture. Although, I did get him to read the _Harry Potter_ books finally."

"No way, what'd you bribe him with?"

"Nothin'," she said, but when she saw the looks her friends were giving her she said, "Okay-okay, I bribed him with ice cream and you know…_stuff_ the first time, but then he couldn't put them down. Read all seven in like a month."

"No way," breathed Brooke, shocked.

"Yes way." She grinned. "Okay, what's question three?"

Trish cleared her throat again and said, "Which color would you never, in a million years, pick for your bridesmaids? Blue, Pink, Orange, or Black."

"Black," said Natalie. "It's kind of morbid, don't you think?"

"Well, it doesn't have to be; it just has to be done tastefully," said April.

"So you wouldn't have cared if the bridesmaid dress I choose for you was black?"

"Ugh, I'm not talking about your wedding, maybe someone else's. Where I'm not a bridemaid."

Everyone laughed, and once Trish could calm down she said, "All right, question four : what's your idea of the perfect honeymoon? Lounging on a beach in the Bahamas, Skiing in Switzerland, relaxing at a spa in Tahiti, or touring England."

"That's easy," started Natalie, "Touring England, I mean that _is_ where we are going."

"Are you sure Keith wouldn't rather relax at a spa in—" Trish stopped to glance down at the quiz, before looking back up to Natalie and finishing, 'Tahiti?"

"Keith? At a spa?" said Brooke, before cracking up.

"Definitely not," said Dawn and April at the same time.

"All right, last question," spoke up Trish, "Which of these performers would you rather have at your wedding instead of your band—Miley Cyrus—"

Natalie interrupted. "Whose wedding is this? Cynthia's?"

Everyone laughed and Trish continued, "Justin Timberlake, Madonna, or Jesse McCartney!"

"Jesse McCartney?" said Natalie, raising her eyebrow.

"Hey! I just had to add him in there. Plus, Keith would get a kick out of it."

"Keith would get a kick out of it once he _kicked_ him out!" said Natalie. "Anyways, I'd pick Justin Timberlake because he's just so…you know…"

"Perfect?"

"Amazing?"

"Sexy?"

"Beautiful?"

"Yup, exactly," said Natalie. "So, what kind of bride am I?"

"Let me calculate," said Trish, as she began marking the quiz. Two minutes later she said, "You are the Storybook Bride."

"Storybook Bride?" asked Natalie. "And that means?"

"That you want your fancy day to be traditional and a bit old-fashioned, and yeah…"

Natalie bit her lip and said, "Hmm…interesting. Um, Trish?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you make that quiz?"

"Yup! I did," she grinned, not looking at all ashamed. "Well, kind of. I stole some of the questions from this one site but changed the options. I kept getting the Storybook Bride for the answer no matter what options I choose, so well, that's why you got it."

"Well, that explains it," she smiled. "So, what's next?"

"Now," started Dawn, "we order our food, and you another one of those Sunset things, and then after—after we start the scavenger hunt."

"Scavenger hunt? What exactly does this scavenger hunt entail?" asked Natalie a bit nervously.

"Oh, you'll see."

* * *

Even though Natalie had refused to part in the scavenger hunt, she ended up getting suckered into it. That was after she had a made a deal with everyone that she only needed to find five of the items. So far she had gotten a male bartender's number on a napkin, a free drink, a random guy's business card, and a picture with a cop.

Now she only had one item left to get. She was glancing at the list as she followed her friends into the last bar. Just as they sat down on a table near the back, April said, "Oh my god," while glancing down at her phone.

"What is it?" asked Brooke.

"Zach just sent me something. A—" She started laughing so hard that it took her a few minutes to finally say, "A video of Keith doing karaoke."

"Seriously?" asked Natalie.

"It gets better," started April. "It's a video of Keith doing karaoke to "Beautiful Soul" by Jesse McCartney."

At this, everyone scrambled out of their chairs, crowded around April, and waited for her to play the video. After the video played, everyone was cracking up so hard that they had to take a few minutes to calm down. Once they were back in their seats Brooke asked, "I wondered how they even got Keith to do that…"

April smiled and said, "Who's the one person Keith has never said no to?"

"No way. Cynthia?" laughed Natalie.

"Yup, according to Zach's message, they couldn't get Keith up there so they called your sister, and all she needed to do was ask him to do it and he couldn't say no…"

"Poor guy," spoke up Trish. "I mean they used one of his weaknesses to pretty much damage his pride."

Everyone laughed and then Natalie casually asked, "So, do you know what else they're doing tonight?"

"No idea," said April. "Zach wouldn't tell me. I begged him for days to let us know what he was planning tonight. He said it was a secret…well, other than the karaoke, 'cause he just couldn't help showing us that. I mean that's pretty much classic."

"But I wanna know," complained Natalie. "There were girls in that video, hollering for him to take off his shirt!"

"You don't need to know, missy," started Dawn. "What you _need_ to do is pick your final item."

Natalie sighed and glanced at her list, trying to find the least embarrassing item to get, but April tore it away from her."Okay, I've decided. Everything you've gotten has been _really_ lame, so if you're only going to find _only _five items, the last item will be the condom one."

"What!? No way! I am not asking a random person—a random _guy_—for a condom. He may get the wrong idea." She felt like she had sobered up immensely at the prospect about what her friends were going to try and make her do.

"Well, then, you have to find _everything_ else on this list…which would mean that you'd have to do the condom one anyway."

Natalie glared at April, and then glanced at Dawn, who just nodded. Why was everyone against her?

Glaring, Natalie said, "I'm not going to ask a random person for a condom. Nope, no way. Absolutely not."

They all glanced at her expectantly. "You know, I bet you half of the guys in this bar have condoms," mused April after a few moments of silence.

"Ya think?" asked Natalie, trying her best to sound mad.

All four of her friends nodded. "Yup, pretty much," said Brooke confidently.

"All right," said Natalie. "Let's find out, shall we?" Summoning up all of the courage that she had, she stood up on her chair, and breathing deeply, she yelled, "I NEED A CONDOM!"

For some reason, even against the loud noise, and music, it quieted down, and a bunch of people turned to glance at her. A few embarrassing seconds passed, while the people continued to glance at her strangely, before suddenly, a guy walked over to the table and dropped a condom on it. "Enjoy," he said, before walking away.

"Thanks," she said, and was just about to glance at her friends proudly, when another guy dropped a condom on the table…and then another...and another. Natalie was silent, wondering when the men were going to stop dropping condoms on her table. She had enough.

Finally, when the last condom fell on top of the pile she had accumulated April spoke up. "You know what? I think that I may be right. I bet half the guys _do_ have condoms."

They all laughed. "Well, you completed the scavenger hunt!" said Dawn, clapping her hands together in excitement, while looking proudly at Natalie.

"Thank god," murmured Natalie, leaning her head on the table.

"Wasn't it fun?" asked April.

Natalie mumbled, "I'm not sure if fun is the right word. I'd use…embarrassing…I mean, it's not like I do this every day."

"Well, we sure hope you don't go yelling for condoms to random guys every day…"

"Shut up," hissed Natalie.

* * *

The next morning, when Natalie woke, she was pleasantly surprised to find that she did not have a hangover; instead, she actually felt quite refreshed. It was quite strange, but she wasn't complaining. She had stayed in bed a few minutes, relaying events that had happened the night before, and when she remembered the video of Keith singing karaoke, she knew she had to go over and see how he was fairing…and try and get some information and what he had done last night for his bachelor party.

She then forced herself out of bed, and got ready, packing a few things since she was pretty sure she wouldn't be home until the next day, before she got into her car and drove to Keith's place. She stopped at Starbucks to pick her and Keith up some coffee on the way.

When she walked into Keith's apartment, thirty minutes later, she was momentarily frozen as her eyes trailed over the state of his apartment. It was a mess, no it _was_ chaos. There were empty beer bottles lying around, empty bags of take-out, and food scattered all over the place.

What had gone on last night?

It looked like a tornado had passed through his apartment. Stepping over some random clothes (happy that there was no bras or girly underwear mixed in), she made her way quietly to Keith's room.

She had to bite her bottom lip—hard—to keep from laughing. His head was at the foot of his bed, and he was lying on his stomach, clad only in his boxers, using a pair of jeans as a pillow, as his pillows were thrown to the other side of the room.

Laughing she stepped over his sheets that were on the floor and set the tray with their coffees on his nightstand before glancing back at him. She was just about to debate if she should go and find a camera to take a picture of him, when he rolled over onto his back, the jacket he was using as a blanket falling off of him, as he mumbled, eyes still closed, "'M gonna kill you."

Natalie let out a surprised huff as she crossed her arms and said, "Excuse me? I brought you coffee!"

At her voice, he opened his eyes. "Partner? 'M sorry, I thought you were Zach."

"Oh," she said, as she sat down on his bed. "Looks like he left, no one else is here." He slowly sat up, running his fingers through his messy hair. "What's that?" she asked, pointing at the back of his hand.

Slowly, he turned his hand around, and at the sight of it he let out a low, deep chuckle. "Oh, that." He chuckled again. "Those," he started, "are how many shots I took last night." He seemed quite proud of himself.

Natalie rolled her eyes, and gently grabbed Keith's hand as she counted the marks on his hand. "Thirty, Keith? I don't think so."

He just grinned and said, "I got a bit carried away, okay? Plus, the more marks, the more manly I looked. So maybe I kind of added a few….when no one was looking…"

"Oh brother," said Natalie, "But, really, there was no point to try and prove your manliness since I'm pretty sure it was taken away once you sang the first verse to "Beautiful Soul"."

His eyes got wide. "You saw that?!"

Nodding, Natalie said, quite cheerfully. "Oh, yes."

"Zach said he wasn't going to show it to anyone!"

"Hmm…" said Natalie. "Well, he lied. It's on YouTube, too," she added, remembering the text message Zach had sent her, containing the link to the video.

"It's on YouTube?"

"Yup," she smiled. "And I think it already has like three thousand views." Okay, maybe she lied—a bit. She wasn't exactly sure how many views it had, but three thousand sounded like a good number.

"Shit…Now I know why Zach needed my computer so badly last night…"

Natalie laughed. "So, what else did you do last night?" she asked casually.

"Can't say."

She frowned. "Why not?"

"Rules."

"Rules?"

"Yup."

Natalie crossed her arms against her chest again. "Fine, then I'm not telling you what I did!"

They were quiet for a while before Natalie got up, throwing the covers back onto Keith's bed, before she grabbed a random DVD and put it on. She then got under the covers next to Keith, who was leaning up against his headboard looking quite out of it. She handed him his coffee and said, "I think today is a good day to do nothing but watch movies."

"Hmm…good idea," he said, taking his coffee from her and taking a large sip of it.

They watched the movie for a few minutes before Keith hesitantly asked, "There weren't—there weren't any naked men involved last night were there?"

"No," she said quietly. "Um there weren't—there weren't any naked women involved were there?"

"No way," he responded. He went back to watching the movie, but after a few minutes, he spoke up his voice soft, and a bit nervous, "Um…were there any half naked men involved?"

"No…were there any half naked women involved?"

"Nope."

"Good."

"Good."

* * *

Today was the day.

Natalie was shocked at how quickly the week had passed by since her bachelorette party. She had been so busy getting the final touches with the wedding done, that she was shocked when she woke up this morning, and realized that it was her wedding day.

Natalie felt her nerves increasing the closer the time ticked to two. In less than thirty minutes, she would be walking down the aisle, soon to be Keith's wife. She couldn't help but let out a tiny squeal at the thought. "Quit squirming," said Brooke. "I'll have to touch up your makeup again!"

"Sorry," said Natalie, trying to her best not to move. She felt bad (okay, not that bad) that she had to keep getting Brooke to touch up her makeup. A few of the times had been when she had started bawling, not believing that she was _getting married_ _to Keith_. Today.

Finally.

She wondered if it would ever feel like she was living reality, and not just some fairytale she had made up in her mind.

A few minutes later Brooke pulled away examining her makeup before saying, "Okay, perfect. Now, no more crying, okay?"

"All right," she said, as she looked into the mirror. Brooke had done a perfect job. She had kept her looking natural, since she hadn't wanted to look like she was wearing an inch of makeup, but had done something extra special to her eyes by making them a dark purple and a hint of silver. "It's perfect," she said. She was happy that she hadn't gotten a makeup artist, since she figured they would go way too overboard.

Dawn, who was currently fixing Natalie's hair, stopped to glance at her. "You look absolutely stunning."

"Thanks," blushed Natalie.

"How's the hair coming?" asked Brooke, as she began putting her makeup away.

"Actually, I just finished," said Dawn. "How's it look?"

Trish walked behind Natalie, and through the mirror she saw Trish's mouth gape open. "Gosh, Dawn, it's amazing."

"Really?"

"Let me see!" said Natalie. Dawn handed her a mirror and Natalie twirled around in her chair to face her back towards the mirror. "It's beautiful," she said. It was exactly what she had wanted. All of her hair was curled, and then half of it was brought up in a tiny twist, and then Dawn had placed a few purple flowers around the twist.

"You really like it?" asked Dawn. "Because if you don't, I will totally fix it."

Natalie lowered her mirror and glanced at Dawn. "It's amazing."

April then walked over, carrying the veil. Just as she finished putting it on, Natalie parents walked in. "Oh, dear, you look beautiful," said Caroline, tabbing her eyes with a tissue.

"You think so?" asked Natalie. She waited for Dawn to finish putting on her veil before she stood up and faced her parents. "What'd you think Keith will think?" she asked them.

Pete smile and said, "I think Keith isn't going to know what to do with himself when he sees you."

This made Natalie blush.

"Well," started Caroline. "I better get to my seat. You all look amazing." She went and hugged Natalie and when she pulled back she was crying and saying, "I can't believe my girl is getting married."

"Mom, don't cry," said Natalie, feeling the prickling sensation build behind her eyes. "You're going to make me cry."

Caroline dabbed her eyes with a tissue. "Okay, okay. I promise you I'll keep it together. For now. I love you, Natalie," she said, before walking out, still dabbing her eyes.

Brooke and Dawn helped Natalie get into her shoes, before they left to go walk down the processional.

Natalie waited for her cue, and then her dad twined their arms together and asked, "Ready?"

Fighting back tears, Natalie smiled and said, "I've never been more ready for anything in my entire life," she answered.

Tightening her grip on her dad's arm, she slowly walked with him down the aisle to Keith.

Where she belonged.

As soon as she caught eyes with Keith, she felt her eyes prickle and she knew she wasn't going to leave this room with dry eyes.

Sooner than she thought, her dad stopped in front of Keith and the pastor spoke, "Who gives away this bride?"

Natalie gave her dad a small smile and he replied, in a tight voice, "Her mother and I." Pete lifted the front veil and gave Natalie a kiss on the forehead, before he walked to his seat next to Caroline.

Once Pete was seated, the pastor began his opening speech but Natalie only listened to the first few words, her mind was racing too quickly, and she just couldn't believe that she was getting married to _Keith_.

She didn't think she could be any happier. Or any luckier.

Natalie was too caught up in staring into Keith's brilliant green eyes that she was surprised to hear the pastor say, "Keith, please speak the vow you have written for Natalie."

Keith, in a shaky voice, said, "Natalie, I love you," His voice cracked, but he was able to keep himself composed and continued, "You're everything to me, and without you…I wouldn't be _me_. You have been there with me through one of the hardest times of my life, and without you, I don't think I could have been as strong.

"You have always been there for me and you have _always_ believed in me, and I can't thank you enough. No matter what, you were _there_, you stayed by my side—you stayed in that passenger seat next to me. Natalie, I promise to always love you and to always be with you. I will be with you for forever and infinity," he finished.

The pastor glanced over to Keith and said, "Natalie, please speak the vow you have written for Keith."

Natalie felt tears spilling over her eyes, and had to compose herself before she spoke. "Keith, I love you. You are the most amazing, kindest person I have ever met. You have shown me how to live life, how to be _me_. You complete me, without you I would be lost. Keith, I promise that I will always love you, and always be there for you. I will never get out of that passenger seat and I will be with you for forever and infinity."

The pastor then spoke, "I will ask you now to seal the vows you have just made by the giving and receiving of rings. May I have the rings, please?" Natalie watched as Zach carefully handed the rings to the pastor.

"The wedding ring has been a traditional symbol of commitment and enduring love that, like a circle, and the infinity symbol, has no end. These rings are your gifts to each other that ties your two hearts in love, and that has no end. With these rings, you will seal the vows you have just exchanged, reminding each other to remain faithful to your promises of love forever and infinity. Let these rings be a symbol of a never ending friendship, and a never ending love."

"Keith," said the pastor, turning towards him, and handing him Natalie's ring. "You may place the ring on Natalie's finger and repeat after me. Natalie, with this ring, a symbol of our live times infinity, I thee wed."

Keith shakily slid the ring on Natalie's finger he repeated, "Natalie, with this ring, a symbol of our love times infinity, I thee wed."

The pastor then turned to Natalie and said, handing her Keith's ring. "Natalie, you may place the ring on Keith's finger and repeat after me. Keith, with this ring, a symbol of our love times infinity, I thee wed."

Sliding Keith's ring on his finger, she repeated, "Keith, with this ring, a symbol of our loves times infinity, I thee wed."

Keith gently grabbed her hands as the pastor said, "Keith and Natalie. May the challenges in your life together only be met with bravery and optimism. May you learn from your challenges and only let them allow your love to grow stronger. May you both live a happy and healthy life, and be together for infinity.

"You both have openly declared your wishes to be united in marriage and have pledged in the presence of these witnesses your love to one another. By the power vested in me, it is my honor and delight to pronounce that you are husband and wife. Keith, you may kiss your bride."

As soon as these words were pronounced, Natalie felt Keith's soft hands cradle her face, and as he leaned in for the kiss, she wrapped her arms around him, not wanting to ever let go.

When they finally broke apart, the pastor said with a smile, "Family and friends, it is my pleasure to present you Mr. and Mrs. Keith Zetterstrom."

Natalie and Keith walked down the aisle hand and hand, and once they walked out of the room, and were by themselves in the hall, Natalie stopped him and whispered, "Finally."

Keith didn't need any clarification, only lowered his head so their foreheads were touching and replied, "Finally."

* * *

"If you drop me or hit my head on the door …I am going to kill you…" said Natalie, trying to sound serious, but the giggle in her voice said otherwise.

"Partner," started Keith. "I am not doing to drop you, okay? Now c'mon…you're wasting the time that we could be in our room…doing…you know...things."

"You're right, I am wasting time…just if you drop me…we won't be doing those things you've been whispering in my ear since the start of the reception."

Keith just chuckled as he gracefully—surprisingly to Natalie—lifted her up. "I've always wanted to carry you through the door with you wearing a wedding dress…"

"Oh, really," said Natalie, as Keith began making the short distance from where they were standing in the hall to their room.

"Yup," said Keith, as he skillfully opened the door and led Natalie through the doorway. Natalie was glad that he seemed to take extra care in making sure that he didn't hit her head on the door or any of the walls as he carried her inside of the room.

When he gently stood her on her feet, Natalie glanced around the room. It was a huge suite, but that wasn't what was making her eyes blur with tears. There was a trail of rose petals scattered on the floor, and reached a tub which was already filled up with water. Natalie walked over to it and gently tested the water. "It's warm," she said, turning back to Keith who was still standing in the middle of the room, giving her a look so full of love that it almost made her start bawling.

"Of course it's warm," he said, walking over to where she was standing, "And, there's a bottle of your favorite champagne, and your favorite dessert—"

"Chocolate strawberries," she finished for him.

"Yup," he grinned.

"Keith," she started, "this is just so sweet. Why do you have to be so perfect?" she asked, feeling the tears she had been fighting all day spilling over.

He chuckled, almost a bit nervously at her comment. "I'm not perfect, Natalie, I'm just me."

"To me, Keith, you are perfect," she replied, as she closed the distance between them and brought her lips to his. "For me," she whispered against his lips.

He brought both his hands to the side of her face and kissed her deeply, their tongues colliding and when she heard Keith moan against her mouth, she knew she needed to get his clothes off of him.

And now.

Keith must have been thinking the same thing, because just as she brought her hand down and began undoing his button on his pants, his hands were gently and carefully unzipping her dress. When her dress was off, she helped him slide his pants off, then his jacket, his shirt…

In less than two minutes, Natalie entered the tub, followed seconds behind Keith. Once they were in the water, Keith gave her his trademark lopsided grin, that made her push him against the tub—and hard. "God, Keith, _I love you_," she whispered, her breath warm against his neck. "You've made me the happiest woman in the whole world."

He brought his soft, wet lips to her shoulder and kissed her, so lightly it felt like a feather was gracing her skin. "And you've made me the happiest man in the whole universe."

* * *

_The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was the night sky— dark and still, all but the twinkling of the stars. After a few minutes of hoping to catch a shooting star, she checked her surroundings, only to find herself in the bed of Keith's truck, at their spot. The problem was something was missing._

_Keith._

_He wasn't in his normal spot, next to her, where he was supposed to be. She didn't want to cry at this realization, but she couldn't help feel the prickling behind her eyes get more intense the longer she lied there._

_Finally, knowing that the only way she was going to prevent herself from crying was to get out of the back of his truck. Maybe staring at the calming water below the cliff would make her feel better. But as she jumped out of the truck, she saw something that made her heart skip a beat._

"_Keith?" she asked hesitantly, her feet crunching against the gravel as she made her way hesitantly towards him. It looked like him, but she couldn't be sure as she could only see the outline of his silhouette, in the darkness._

_As soon as she heard the figure speak, she knew it was him. "Partner," he said. "Finally."_

"_You're here," she stated. She closed the remaining distance between them and carefully brought her hand to touch his arm; she felt herself let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding when she felt the warmth of his flesh._

"_Of course I'm here," he said._

"_You're—you're feeling all right?" she asked. She was just expecting him to suddenly faint, suddenly collapse, suddenly stop _breathing_. _

_And be torn away from her…forever._

_At this question, he chuckled. "I'm feeling great, partner. Never better."_

_She narrowed her eyes at him, taking in his appearance. She was standing close enough to him now that she could see him quite clearly with the light the moon gave off. And, after noticing the glimmer in his eyes, and the healthy glow his skin was emitting, she believed him. _

_He was here, with her, and was healthy._

_She shook her head in complete amazement. "I just—I can't believe that you're here…with me. Just—just don't leave, okay?"_

_Keith brought up his hands to cup the side of her face as he said in a soft voice, "Partner, where am I gonna go? I'm right here, with you, where I belong." He dropped his hands down to hang loosely at his side as he gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead before backing away, and glancing up at the sky. "Shooting star," he stated after a few moments. "Make a wish, partner."_

"_I don't need to," she whispered, watching the expression on his._

"_Why not?" he asked._

"_Because," she said, giving him a watery smile. "I have everything I ever need. You."_

Natalie woke up, eyes scanning the unfamiliar room; it took a few minutes to remember that she was at a hotel, and she had just gotten married.

To Keith.

She rolled over onto her side, facing Keith. He was lying on his back, sound asleep. Gently, in hopes not to wake him she ran her fingers through his brown hair; however, soon his eyes fluttered opened, and he turned his head to look at her.

"Somethin' wrong?" he mumbled, his voice thick with sleep. When he was finally awake enough, his eyes got wide when he looked at her. "Did you have a nightmare?" he asked frantically.

Natalie felt tears fill her eyes. "No, I-I didn't."

"What's wrong?" he asked, wondering why her eyes were filling with tears.

"I had a _dream_."

Even in the darkness of the room, Natalie could tell Keith was confused. "Keith, for six years, I've had nightmares, and every one of those consisted of you being torn away from me—of you being gone—"

"I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere," he spoke up before she could finish explaining. He moved closer to hers so their foreheads were touching.

"But tonight, Keith, I had a dream and you were _there_."

"I was right where I was supposed to be, then," he smiled.

"Keith, we're going to be together forever, aren't we?" she stated, voice cracking.

Keith stared directly into her eyes and said, "Yes, Natalie, we're going to be together for infinity."

* * *

**A/N: **_Well, that's the end. I'm kind of sad. Actually, I'm a lot sad. I can't thank all of you enough for your support. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and/or added this story to story alert. It means so much to me. I know for a fact this story would not be what it is without your encouragement. I do want to personally thank Purple Shamrock 17, Ash Riley, accioRpattz, and JJJameson, for reviewing every chapter. Also, I want to thank m81170 for reviewing and for those many nights that you stayed up till four in the morning editing my many chapters. I hope it didn't make you go crazy._

_On another note, I've decided that I'm not quite finished with _Times Infinity_ just yet. Because of this, I have decided that we all need to see what Keith and Natalie's honeymoon is like. What do you think? Please let me know if you're interested. I'm planning on it being a long one-short, but more than likely it will be a short story like five chapters or so. I haven't outlined it yet, so don't expect it to be up for at least a few weeks, but more like at least a month. Check my profile for status._

_Also, while writing the epilogue, I had sudden inspiration to write the scene where Keith asks Pete's blessing to propose to Natalie. I have decided that whoever reviews this chapter (since I REALLY want to know what people thought of this story/chapter, and plus, reviews will cheer me up from my depression of this story's completion) I will send you the scene. _

_Now, for those of you who have accounts, I can just PM or email you the scene—just make sure you allow PM's/emails. Also, I'm aware that some of you don't have accounts, so I have added my email to my profile and you can email me and let me know you reviewed and I will send you the scene. If you do put your email in the review, you need to space it out, or this site will delete it. This offer does not expire._

_Lastly (I swear), I have added links on my profile to pictures of Natalie's wedding dress, Natalie's wedding ring, and the Bridesmaids dresses. If these links stop working, let me know._

_With that being said, I hoped you enjoyed this story as much as I did writing it. I will see you guys soon-ish when I post the, I guess you could call it, sequel (honeymoon)._

_Bye! *Drives off in a yellow truck*_


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